United Kingdom bank holidays 2026 and 2027
United Kingdom has 16 bank or public holidays listed here between November 2026 and December 2027. Over the year-end peak (1 December 2026 to 15 January 2027) the dates to plan around are: Fri 25 Dec 2026 (Christmas Day), Mon 28 Dec 2026 (Boxing Day (substitute day)), Fri 1 Jan 2027 (New Year's Day), Mon 4 Jan 2027 (2nd January (substitute day, Scotland only)).
Currency: GBP · Time zone: Europe/London · Subscribe to this calendar (.ics)
Why this matters for prefunding
When United Kingdom banks or payment rails close, a top-up sent to a local payout partner may not land until the next business day. Remittance demand often rises around the same holidays. Fund the corridor before the closure, sized for the closed days plus your normal top-up lead time. Check your corridor runway.
Holiday calendar
| Date | Holiday | Type | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 30 Nov 2026 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | bank holiday | Confirmed | Scotland only. CHAPS, Bacs and Faster Payments operate normally (they follow England and Wales holidays). |
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day | bank holiday | Confirmed | England and Wales bank holiday (also applies UK-wide where noted). CHAPS and Bacs do not operate; Faster Payments runs 24/7. UK-wide. |
| Mon 28 Dec 2026 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | 26 December 2026 is a Saturday, so the bank holiday moves to Monday 28 December. UK-wide. CHAPS and Bacs closed; Bacs payments due to arrive 29 December must be submitted by 23 December. Faster Payments runs. |
| Fri 1 Jan 2027 | New Year's Day | bank holiday | Confirmed | England and Wales bank holiday (also applies UK-wide where noted). CHAPS and Bacs do not operate; Faster Payments runs 24/7. UK-wide. |
| Mon 4 Jan 2027 | 2nd January (substitute day, Scotland only) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | Scotland only. UK payment systems operate. |
| Wed 17 Mar 2027 | St Patrick's Day (Northern Ireland only) | bank holiday | Confirmed | Northern Ireland only. CHAPS operates; Bacs notes NI-only holidays may affect NI accounts, so check with the payment service provider. |
| Fri 26 Mar 2027 | Good Friday | bank holiday | Confirmed | England and Wales bank holiday (also applies UK-wide where noted). CHAPS and Bacs do not operate; Faster Payments runs 24/7. UK-wide. |
| Mon 29 Mar 2027 | Easter Monday | bank holiday | Confirmed | England and Wales bank holiday (also applies UK-wide where noted). CHAPS and Bacs do not operate; Faster Payments runs 24/7. Not a bank holiday in Scotland. |
| Mon 3 May 2027 | Early May bank holiday | bank holiday | Confirmed | England and Wales bank holiday (also applies UK-wide where noted). CHAPS and Bacs do not operate; Faster Payments runs 24/7. UK-wide. |
| Mon 31 May 2027 | Spring bank holiday | bank holiday | Confirmed | England and Wales bank holiday (also applies UK-wide where noted). CHAPS and Bacs do not operate; Faster Payments runs 24/7. UK-wide. |
| Mon 12 Jul 2027 | Battle of the Boyne (Northern Ireland only) | bank holiday | Confirmed | Northern Ireland only. UK payment systems operate; check NI account handling with the payment service provider. |
| Mon 2 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday (Scotland only) | bank holiday | Confirmed | Scotland only. UK payment systems operate. |
| Mon 30 Aug 2027 | Summer bank holiday | bank holiday | Confirmed | England and Wales bank holiday (also applies UK-wide where noted). CHAPS and Bacs do not operate; Faster Payments runs 24/7. Not a bank holiday in Scotland. |
| Tue 30 Nov 2027 | St Andrew's Day (Scotland only) | bank holiday | Confirmed | Scotland only. UK payment systems operate. |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day (substitute day) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | 25 December 2027 is a Saturday, so the holiday moves to Monday 27 December. UK-wide. CHAPS and Bacs closed. |
| Tue 28 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | observed/substitute day | Confirmed | 26 December 2027 is a Sunday, so the holiday moves to Tuesday 28 December. UK-wide. CHAPS and Bacs closed, giving a four-day CHAPS gap (Sat 25 to Tue 28). |
"Expected" means the date depends on an annual declaration or moon sighting and may move. Check the official source before you rely on it.
Payment rails and operating hours
| Rail | Operator | Hours | Runs on holidays |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHAPS | Bank of England | Usually 06:00 to 18:00 UK time, Monday to Friday, excluding bank or public holidays in England and Wales. Participants must be open to receive by 08:00 and send by 10:00; customer payments must be submitted by 17:40; bank-to-bank until 18:00. | no source |
| Faster Payments | Pay.UK (settlement in Bank of England RTGS) | 24/7 | yes source |
| Bacs (Direct Credit and Direct Debit) | Pay.UK (Bacs Payment Schemes) | Three-day cycle (submission, processing, arrival) on business days only; weekends and England and Wales bank holidays are non-input and non-processing days. | no source |
UK payment systems follow England and Wales bank holidays; Scotland and Northern Ireland only days affect local branches and some NI accounts but not CHAPS. The Bacs 2027 processing calendar is not yet published; the 2027 bank holiday dates themselves are published by GOV.UK. Pay.UK's own site blocked automated access, so the Faster Payments 24/7 statement is taken from the Bank of England RTGS disclosure. Christmas 2027 gives a four-day CHAPS and Bacs gap (25 to 28 December).
Other calendars
Sources
- UK bank holidays (JSON feed) · GOV.UK
- UK bank holidays · GOV.UK
- CHAPS · Bank of England
- RTGS PFMI disclosure (describes Faster Payments 24/7 and settlement cycles) · Bank of England
- Bacs processing calendar · Bacs (Pay.UK)
- Bacs processing calendar 2026 (PDF) · Bacs (Pay.UK)
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