UK Bank Holidays 2025: Key Dates and Business Implications

Bank holidays, also known as public holidays, in the UK aren’t just a nice day off. They can mess with rotas, delay pay runs, and throw a spanner in your whole week if you’re not on top of them.

That’s why it pays to plan ahead. For most businesses, UK bank holidays in 2025 will mean a mix of schedule changes, payroll tweaks, and leave requests piling up. And if you’ve got teams across different parts of the UK, things get even trickier, because not everyone gets the same days off.

In this article, we break down the 2025 UK bank holidays, region by region. We also cover what that means for your business, from staffing and service to payroll and holiday pay. Plus, we show you how to take the chaos out of it all by putting bank holiday admin on autopilot with the right software.

UK bank holidays 2025

Here’s a full list of the UK bank holidays 2025, broken down by region, so you know exactly what’s coming and where:

Impact on businesses

Bank holidays sound nice on paper. But in practice, they can complicate things. The issues that crop up vary by sector, though the headache is real across the board. This is especially true if you’re not prepared.

Retail and hospitality

Bank holidays usually mean busier shifts, packed venues, and higher takings. That’s the upside. The downside? Staffing.

• Rostering: You’ll likely need more hands on deck. But you’ll also get a bunch of time-off requests. Get your rota sorted early and communicate it clearly.
• Holiday pay: You don’t legally have to offer extra pay for bank holiday work. But many businesses do, especially in unionised settings or customer-facing roles. You don’t want to be manually tweaking payroll last-minute.
• Contract confusion: Many disputes come from unclear contracts. Spell out whether staff have a right to take bank holidays off or not. Don’t leave it vague.

Manufacturing and logistics

In these industries, even a day of disruption can stall operations. And cost you money.

• Delivery delays: Suppliers in other regions may be closed when you’re open. That’s especially true if you’re dealing across borders within the UK. Check their holiday schedules and plan stock accordingly.
• Shift handovers: If you run 24/7, don’t assume everyone knows who’s covering what. Get cover plans locked in and briefed ahead of time.
• Legal exposure: Working Time rules still apply, even when you're under pressure. Keep a close eye on hours worked and rest periods, especially if people are working overtime.

Office-based businesses

Bank holidays can feel low-stakes. But they can still create problems if you’re not paying attention.

• Payroll disruptions: If payday lands on a bank holiday, and your payroll doesn’t shift the date, people may get paid late. This is one of the most common payroll complaints. Luckily, it's easy to avoid with the right payroll software.
• Overlapping leave: Long weekends mean a rush of holiday bookings. If you’re not tracking it properly, you risk ending up short-staffed when you need people in.
• Timeline pressure: Public holidays can slow things down. Projects can fall behind, especially when teams are split across the UK with different public holidays. Build in buffers.

Planning and compliance considerations

Bank holidays come with admin, plain and simple. It’s not just about who's off—it’s about getting payroll right, managing leave fairly, and staying compliant with employment law. Here's how to stay ahead of the mess:

Get your payroll timing sorted

Some payroll systems will move pay dates for you if a bank holiday’s coming. Others won’t. Get clear on what your setup does.

• Check your regular pay dates for clashes (preferably at the start of the year)
• Adjust your schedule ahead of time if you need to
• Use payroll software that automatically adjusts for public holidays so pay doesn’t land late

If you're still processing payroll manually or using basic tools, this is exactly the kind of thing that'll catch you out.

Manage leave the smart way

Bank holidays often trigger a rush of leave requests, especially when people can stretch a weekend. If you don’t have a clear leave system, it can get chaotic.

• Have a clear policy that says how far in advance leave needs to be booked
• Use a shared calendar or dashboard to show who’s off and when
• Limit how many people can be off in each team at once

The best HR software lets staff view their own balances and submit leave online. No more endless email chains. No more guesswork.

Know what to do with holiday pay

Holiday pay isn’t one-size-fits-all. Whether bank holidays are included in someone’s allowance depends on their contract. And if they’re part-time, the whole thing needs pro-rating.

• Review contracts to check if bank holidays are included or additional
• Make sure part-timers get the right amount of leave, based on hours worked
• Keep solid records of who’s taken what, and what’s still owed

If you’ve got a connected HR and payroll system, it can take care of this in the background. It calculates allowances based on each person’s hours, start date, and contract type.

Don’t break the rules

Asking people to work a bank holiday isn’t illegal. But you can still get it wrong.

• Don’t forget to pay the correct rate if the contract says you must
• Make sure no one goes over the Working Time Directive limits
• Watch out for part-time staff missing out on leave that they have a right to
• Track rest periods between shifts properly (especially on long weekends)

A modern human resources information system (HRIS) and payroll software can flag potential issues as they crop up. You’ll know if someone’s been overworked, underpaid, or overlooked. And long before HMRC or an employment lawyer points it out.

Put bank holiday pay on autopilot

Let’s be honest, managing public holidays manually can be a real pain. You’ve got payroll dates to move, holiday pay rates to check, and staff leave to juggle. Do it all by hand, and something’s bound to slip through the cracks.

That’s where the right setup makes all the difference. Rippling can do the administrative heavy lifting for you. It keeps your HR, payroll, IT, and finance all in sync. So, gone are the days of bouncing between systems or chasing spreadsheets.

Here’s how Rippling can take the load off during bank holidays:

• Pay runs don’t land late: The system knows when a bank holiday is coming. It shifts pay dates automatically, so staff aren’t left waiting.
• Leave’s easy to manage: You can track who’s off, approve requests in a click, and avoid the entire team disappearing at once. Staff can even see their own balances without pestering HR.
• Contracts, hours, and allowances are all joined up: If someone’s part-time or on a flexible contract, their leave is pro-rated without you needing a calculator. Everything updates behind the scenes.
• You stay compliant without breaking a sweat: It flags dodgy rest periods, pay issues, and time off mistakes before they become problems.

Basically, the admin gets done in the background, and you can get back to running the business. Or, better yet, take the long weekend off yourself!

UK bank holiday FAQs

How many UK bank holidays are there in 2025?

There are eight bank holidays in England and Wales in 2025. Scotland and Northern Ireland have a few extras of their own. If you’ve got teams across the UK, make sure your holiday calendar reflects the right number for each location.

How many bank holidays are there in 2026?

We’re still waiting on confirmation for a few 2026 dates, especially substitute days. But it’s usually around eight for England and Wales, with a couple more for Scotland and Northern Ireland. It’s a good idea to check the government’s list once it’s published and add them to your systems early.

What happens if someone’s on maternity leave or off sick over a bank holiday?

If bank holidays are included in their contractual holiday entitlement, and one falls during maternity or sick leave, they’re still entitled to it. They don’t lose that day just because they’re off. They should be allowed to take it later, usually as time off in lieu. This applies even if they’re off for a long time.

So yes, if bank holidays are counted in their holiday allowance, they keep them. You can’t just quietly skip them from the balance.

How do I handle holiday pay for zero-hours or casual staff?

They still get paid bank holidays. You just work it out differently. Usually, you calculate it based on the average hours they’ve worked over the past 52 weeks. A decent HRIS or payroll system can do the maths for you so you don’t have to guess or battle with manual calculations.

This blog is based on information available to Rippling as of May 13, 2025.

Disclaimer: Rippling and its affiliates do not provide tax, accounting, or legal advice. This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide or be relied on for tax, accounting, or legal advice. You should consult your own tax, accounting, and legal advisors before engaging in any related activities or transactions.