How Many Working Days Are in 2027? UK Month-by-Month Guide

There are 253 working days in 2027 in England and Wales, 252 in Scotland and 251 in Northern Ireland, assuming a Monday-to-Friday week. 2027 has 261 weekdays, and the official bank holidays that land on weekdays come off that total. This guide breaks the figure down by month, lists every 2027 bank holiday by nation and shows how to count working days between any two dates.

All bank holiday dates below come from the official GOV.UK bank holidays feed, checked on 16 October 2026. If you want to count days between your own dates, use the free UK working days calculator, which skips weekends and bank holidays for you.

Contents

1. Working days in 2027 at a glance
2. Working days in each month of 2027 (England and Wales)
3. All 2027 bank holidays by nation
4. How to count working days between two dates
5. Working days, holiday entitlement and pay
6. Tips for planning leave in 2027
7. FAQs

Working days in 2027 at a glance

A calendar year usually has 260 or 261 weekdays. 2027 starts on a Friday and is not a leap year, so it has 52 full weeks plus one extra day, which is a Friday. That gives 261 weekdays.

NationWeekdaysWeekday bank holidaysWorking daysEngland and Wales2618253Scotland2619252Northern Ireland26110251

These totals assume you work Monday to Friday and take every bank holiday off. Shift workers, retail staff and anyone on a compressed week will have a different number, and the method later in this guide covers those cases.

Working days in each month of 2027 (England and Wales)

Monthly totals matter for payroll, invoicing and project plans. Here is the count for England and Wales, with bank holidays removed.

MonthWorking daysBank holidays in monthJanuary20New Year's Day (Fri 1 Jan)February20NoneMarch21Good Friday (26 Mar), Easter Monday (29 Mar)April22NoneMay19Early May (3 May), Spring (31 May)June22NoneJuly22NoneAugust21Summer (30 Aug)September22NoneOctober21NoneNovember22NoneDecember21Christmas (27 Dec, substitute), Boxing Day (28 Dec, substitute)

May is the shortest working month of 2027 with 19 days, because it holds two bank holidays. April, June, July, September and November tie for the longest at 22 days.

All 2027 bank holidays by nation

Easter falls early in 2027, so Good Friday is on 26 March and Easter Monday on 29 March. Christmas Day and Boxing Day land on a Saturday and Sunday, so the substitute days move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December.

England and Wales (8)

• Friday 1 January: New Year's Day
• Friday 26 March: Good Friday
• Monday 29 March: Easter Monday
• Monday 3 May: Early May bank holiday
• Monday 31 May: Spring bank holiday
• Monday 30 August: Summer bank holiday
• Monday 27 December: Christmas Day (substitute)
• Tuesday 28 December: Boxing Day (substitute)

Scotland (9)

Scotland keeps New Year's Day and adds 2nd January, which moves to Monday 4 January in 2027. It has no Easter Monday, and its summer bank holiday falls on Monday 2 August. St Andrew's Day is Tuesday 30 November.

Northern Ireland (10)

Northern Ireland follows the England and Wales list and adds St Patrick's Day (Wednesday 17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne holiday (Monday 12 July). You can check every date on the official GOV.UK bank holidays page.

How to count working days between two dates

Counting by hand is easy to get wrong, especially across Easter or Christmas. Follow these steps:

1. Decide whether to include the start and end dates. Contracts and notice periods often spell this out, so check the wording first.
2. Count the weekdays. Each full week adds five. Count any leftover days one by one.
3. Remove bank holidays that land on weekdays inside your range, using the list for your nation.
4. Remove your own non-working days if you work part time or have a fixed day off.

For example, from Monday 1 March to Wednesday 31 March 2027 there are 23 weekdays. Take away Good Friday and Easter Monday and you get 21 working days in England and Wales. In Scotland, where Easter Monday is not a bank holiday, the answer is 22.

Working days, holiday entitlement and pay

Full-time workers in the UK are entitled to 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, which is 28 days for someone working five days a week. Employers can include bank holidays in that 28, so check your contract. The rules are on GOV.UK's holiday entitlement page.

If your employer counts bank holidays inside your 28 days, the 8 bank holidays in England and Wales leave 20 days to book yourself. With 253 working days, that means roughly 225 days at work across 2027 for a typical full-time employee. Part-time workers get a pro-rata share. Our holiday entitlement calculator works out the exact figure for your hours.

Tips for planning leave in 2027

• Easter: booking 4 days of leave (30 March to 2 April) alongside Good Friday and Easter Monday gives you 10 days off in a row in England and Wales.
• May: two Monday bank holidays mean two long weekends. Booking 1 to 4 June after the Spring bank holiday gives 9 days off for 4 days of leave.
• Christmas: the substitute days on 27 and 28 December, plus 29 to 31 December, give 10 days off in a row, from Saturday 25 December to Monday 3 January 2028, for just 3 days of leave. New Year's Day 2028 falls on a Saturday, so its substitute bank holiday is Monday 3 January.

Teams often share these windows, so book early. If you also want the length of an absence in calendar days, the date calculator counts every day between two dates.

Frequently asked questions

How many working days are in 2027 in the UK?

There are 253 working days in England and Wales, 252 in Scotland and 251 in Northern Ireland, based on a Monday-to-Friday week with bank holidays off.

How many weekdays are in 2027?

2027 has 261 weekdays. It starts on a Friday and is not a leap year, so it has one extra Friday on top of 52 full weeks.

Which month has the fewest working days in 2027?

May, with 19 working days in England and Wales, because it holds the Early May and Spring bank holidays.

When is Easter 2027?

Good Friday is 26 March 2027 and Easter Monday is 29 March 2027. Easter Monday is not a bank holiday in Scotland.

Why are the Christmas 2027 bank holidays on 27 and 28 December?

Christmas Day falls on a Saturday and Boxing Day on a Sunday in 2027, so the substitute bank holidays move to the following Monday and Tuesday.

Do I have to get bank holidays off?

No. There is no legal right to paid leave on bank holidays. Your employer can count them as part of your statutory 5.6 weeks of holiday or ask you to work them, depending on your contract.

How many working days are in 2026?

2026 also has 253 working days in England and Wales, 251 in Scotland and 251 in Northern Ireland.

Last checked: 16 October 2026. Rules and dates can change, so confirm anything important with the official source linked above.