Working Days in the UK 2026: Monthly Totals by Nation

March 19, 2026 • 8 min read •

By Kate Vodopian

Quick answer: In 2026, England and Wales each have 253 working days, while Scotland and Northern Ireland each have 251 working days, based on a standard Monday-to-Friday working week and official bank holidays.

Last reviewed: 20 May 2026.

Working days matter for payroll, staffing, annual leave planning, project deadlines, and monthly reporting. In the UK, the number of working days can vary between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland because bank holidays are not exactly the same in every nation.

If you run a small business, knowing how many working days are in each month is one of those small details that makes a big difference.

It helps with payroll. It helps with planning deadlines. And it helps you avoid that last-minute panic when two people are off and the month turns out to be shorter than you thought.

In the UK, working days are not exactly the same everywhere. England and Wales usually match, but Scotland and Northern Ireland have different bank holidays in some months. In 2026, Scotland also has an extra World Cup bank holiday on Monday 15 June 2026, which changes the June total there.

How many working days are there in each month of 2026 in the UK?

A working day usually means Monday to Friday, excluding weekends and bank holidays. The exact monthly total depends on where your employees are based and which regional holidays apply.

UK Working Days in 2026 — Quick Summary

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Working Days by Month in the UK 2026

Working Days in England in 2026

England has 253 working days in 2026, based on a standard Monday-to-Friday working week and the official England and Wales bank holidays.

England’s 2026 bank holidays are New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May bank holiday, Spring bank holiday, Summer bank holiday, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day substitute day.

If your business has employees in more than one UK nation, a simple holiday tracker can help you apply the right bank holidays by location and avoid mistakes in annual leave calculations.

Working Days in Wales in 2026

Wales follows the same main bank holiday pattern as England in 2026, so the monthly working-day totals are the same.

Working Days in Scotland in 2026

Scotland has 251 working days in 2026. The total differs from England and Wales because Scotland has different bank holidays, including 2 January, St Andrew’s Day, and a one-off World Cup bank holiday on Monday 15 June 2026.

The Scottish bank holidays listed nationally for 2026 are 1 January, 2 January, Good Friday, Early May bank holiday, Spring bank holiday, World Cup bank holiday, Summer bank holiday on 3 August, St Andrew’s Day, Christmas Day, and Boxing Day substitute day on 28 December.

Working Days in Northern Ireland in 2026

Northern Ireland has 251 working days in 2026. It has extra regional bank holidays, including St Patrick’s Day and Battle of the Boyne / Orangemen’s Day.

Why working days matter for small businesses

This is not just a calendar exercise.

When you know the real number of working days in each month, it becomes much easier to:

• plan staffing levels properly
• run payroll and invoicing more accurately
• spot short months before they cause pressure
• manage annual leave more fairly
• set realistic project deadlines

For a small business, that can mean fewer mistakes, fewer awkward conversations, and more reliable absence management throughout the year.

Frequently asked questions

What is classed as a working day in the UK?

A working day is usually Monday to Friday, excluding weekends and bank holidays. Some sectors such as retail, hospitality, healthcare, and logistics may use a different pattern.

How many working days are there in a month on average?

Most UK months have between 20 and 23 working days, depending on weekends and bank holidays.

Do England and Wales have the same working days in 2026?

Yes. England and Wales follow the same 2026 bank holiday pattern, so their working-day totals are the same.

Why is Scotland different in June 2026?

Because Scotland has a one-off World Cup bank holiday on Monday 15 June 2026. That reduces Scotland’s June total by one working day compared with England and Wales.

Why is Northern Ireland different in March and July?

Northern Ireland has regional holidays for St Patrick’s Day and Battle of the Boyne / Orangemen’s Day, so monthly totals differ from the rest of the UK.

How to calculate working days manually

If you want to do the maths yourself, the method is simple:

1. Count the total number of days in the month
2. Remove Saturdays and Sundays
3. Remove the bank holidays that apply in your region
4. Adjust for any company-specific closure days

For example, May 2026 in England has 31 days, 10 weekend days, and 2 bank holidays, leaving 19 working days.

How to Calculate Working Days Using Excel

You can calculate working days with the NETWORKDAYS function in Excel or Google Sheets.

=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, holidays)

• start_date: The start of the date range
• end_date: The end of the date range
• holidays: Optional list or range of dates to exclude from the working-day count, such as bank holidays

Example 1 — Basic usage

=NETWORKDAYS("2026-05-01", "2026-05-31")

This counts all working days in May 2026, excluding weekends. Without adding bank holidays, this returns 21 working days.

Example 2 — With bank holidays

In England and Wales, May 2026 has two bank holidays:

• Monday, May 4 — Early May bank holiday
• Monday, May 25 — Spring bank holiday

You can exclude them directly in the formula:

=NETWORKDAYS("2026-05-01", "2026-05-31", {"2026-05-04","2026-05-25"})

This returns 19 working days for May 2026.

Example 3 — With holidays listed in cells

If your bank holidays are listed in cells C2:C3:

Use:

=NETWORKDAYS("2026-05-01", "2026-05-31", C2:C3)

This calculates working days in May 2026, excluding weekends and the bank holidays listed in C2:C3.

Quick tips:

• Both start_date and end_date are included in the calculation.
• NETWORKDAYS assumes Saturday and Sunday are weekends.
• For custom weekends, use NETWORKDAYS.INTL, where you can define which days are treated as non-working days.
• If your employees are based in different UK nations, use the correct bank holiday list for England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.

If your employees are based in different parts of the UK, make sure you use the correct bank holiday list for each nation. TimeOff.Management can help you track bank holidays by employee location automatically.

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Further Reading

1. GOV.UK — UK bank holidays
2. Scottish Government — Scottish bank holiday dates
3. Scottish Government — World Cup bank holiday confirmed