Working Days in Every Month of 2025 in the UK – England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland
If you’re running a small business in the UK, knowing how many working days are in a month is more than just a trivia fact—it’s essential for scheduling, payroll, and ensuring your team stays on track. Whether you’re calculating deadlines or managing staff leave, understanding the distribution of working days throughout the year is key.
What Is a Working Day?
A working day typically refers to Monday through Friday, excluding weekends and public holidays. The exact number of working days in a month depends on these factors:
- Total weekdays in the month.
- Public and bank holidays, which vary by region in the UK.
- Any specific company policies for work schedules.
Working Days in the UK for 2025
England:
- January: 22 working days (New Year’s Day on January 1)
- February: 20 working days (No public holidays)
- March: 22 working days (No public holidays)
- April: 20 working days (Good Friday on April 18, Easter Monday on April 21)
- May: 20 working days (Early May Bank Holiday on May 5, Spring Bank Holiday on May 26)
- June: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- July: 23 working days (No public holidays)
- August: 21 working days (Summer Bank Holiday on August 25)
- September: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- October: 23 working days (No public holidays)
- November: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- December: 21 working days (Christmas Day on December 25, Boxing Day on December 26)
Wales:
- January: 22 working days (New Year’s Day on January 1)
- February: 20 working days (No public holidays)
- March: 22 working days (No public holidays)
- April: 20 working days (Good Friday on April 18, Easter Monday on April 21)
- May: 20 working days (Early May Bank Holiday on May 5, Spring Bank Holiday on May 26)
- June: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- July: 23 working days (No public holidays)
- August: 21 working days (Summer Bank Holiday on August 25)
- September: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- October: 23 working days (No public holidays)
- November: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- December: 21 working days (Christmas Day on December 25, Boxing Day on December 26)
Scotland:
- January: 21 working days (New Year’s Day on January 1, 2nd January Bank Holiday)
- February: 20 working days (No public holidays)
- March: 22 working days (No public holidays)
- April: 21 working days (Good Friday April 18, Easter Monday may not apply in all areas)
- May: 20 working days (Early May Bank Holiday on May 5, Spring Bank holiday May 26)
- June: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- July: 23 working days (No public holidays)
- August: 20 working days (Summer Bank Holiday on August 4)
- September: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- October: 23 working days (No public holidays)
- November: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- December: 20 working days (St Andrew's Day (substitute day) December 1, Christmas Day on December 25, Boxing Day on December 26)
Northern Ireland:
- January: 22 working days (New Year’s Day on January 1)
- February: 20 working days (No public holidays)
- March: 21 working days (St. Patrick’s Day on March 17)
- April: 20 working days (Good Friday 18, Easter Monday on April 21)
- May: 20 working days (Early May Bank Holiday on May 5, Spring Bank Holiday on May 26)
- June: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- July: 22 working days (Battle of the Boyne/Orangemen’s Day on July 12)
- August: 21 working days (Summer Bank Holiday on August 25)
- September: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- October: 23 working days (No public holidays)
- November: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- December: 21 working days (Christmas Day on December 25, Boxing Day on December 26)
Why Is Knowing Working Days Important?
Small business owners can benefit greatly from understanding working days:
- Payroll and Invoicing: Accurate calculations for monthly wages and billing.
- Scheduling: Efficiently plan deadlines, projects, and team coverage.
- Leave Management: Manage annual leave, public holidays, and ensure fairness across the team.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. How many working days are in a month on average?
Typically, you can expect between 20 and 23 working days in a month, depending on public holidays and weekends.
2. Are Saturdays considered working days in the UK?
No, Saturdays are usually not counted as working days unless your business operates on weekends, like in retail or hospitality sectors.
3. What happens if a public holiday falls on a weekend?
If a UK public holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute bank holiday is often observed on the following Monday.
4. Do part-time employees have the same number of working days?
No, part-time working days vary based on individual contracts. Employers typically prorate holidays and leave entitlements.
5. How do working days differ across UK regions?
While England and Wales share the same bank holidays, Scotland and Northern Ireland have additional holidays like St. Andrew’s Day and St. Patrick’s Day.
6. Can flexible workers have different working days?
Yes, employees with flexible or zero-hours contracts may have varying working days.
7. How do leap years affect working days?
Leap years add an extra day in February, but since February 29 can fall on a weekend, it doesn’t always result in an extra working day.
How to Calculate Working Days (Step-by-Step Guide)
If you prefer to do the math manually:
- Count the Total Days in the month (e.g., 31 for January).
- Subtract Weekends: Remove Saturdays and Sundays (typically 8 days per month).
- Deduct Public Holidays: Check for bank holidays in your region.
- Adjust for Regional Variations: Some regions have extra holidays (like St. Patrick’s Day in NI).
Example:
For May 2025 in England:
- Total Days: 31
- Weekends: 9 (5 Saturdays + 4 Sundays)
- Public Holidays: 2 (Early May Bank Holiday & Spring Bank Holiday)
- Working Days: 31 - 9 - 2 = 20 working days
How to Calculate Working Days Using Excel
The NETWORKDAYS function in Excel (or Google Sheets) calculates the number of working days between two dates, excluding weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and optionally any holidays you specify.
=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])
start_date: The start of the date range.end_date: The end of the date range.[holidays](optional): A range of dates to be excluded from the working days count (e.g., public holidays).
Example 1: Basic Usage
=NETWORKDAYS("2024-02-01", "2024-02-28")
This counts all working days in February 2024, excluding weekends.
Example 2: With Holidays
Assume holidays are listed in cells C2:C4 (e.g., 2024-02-14, 2024-02-19, 2024-02-26):
=NETWORKDAYS("2024-02-01", "2024-02-28", C2:C4)
This calculates working days in February 2024, excluding weekends and the holidays in C2:C4.
Quick Tips:
- Both
start_dateandend_dateare included in the calculation. - For custom weekends, use
NETWORKDAYS.INTLwhere you can define which days are weekends.
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