UK bank holidays 2024: How many and how often

how many bank holidays 2024?

Which UK bank holidays are happening in 2024? If you have found your eyes skipping ahead a few months and looking to the year ahead, we're here to help reach your planning goals by detailing all of the bank holidays set to occur.

You can use this handy guide to get your diary in ship shape for 2024. In this post, we've detailed every bank holiday happening across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, as well as answering some frequently asked questions on the matter.

Skip right to the chase and download our staff holiday planner template today.

When is the next bank holiday in 2024?

The next bank holiday for 2024 will be New Year's Day in the UK.

UK bank holidays 2024: England & Wales

Date

Holiday

Day

1 January

New Year’s Day

Monday

29 March

Good Friday

Friday

1 April

Easter Monday

Monday

6 May

Early May bank holiday

Monday

27 May

Spring bank holiday

Monday

26 August

Summer bank holiday

Monday

25 December

Christmas Day

Monday

26 December

Boxing Day

Monday

UK bank holidays 2024: Scotland

Date

Holiday

Day

1 January

New Year’s Day

Monday

2 January

2nd January

Tuesday

29 March

Good Friday

Friday

6 May

Early May bank holiday

Monday

27 May

Spring bank holiday

Monday

5 August

Summer bank holiday

Monday

2 December

St Andrew’s Day (substitute day)

Monday

25 December

Christmas Day

Wednesday

26 December

Boxing Day

Thursday

UK bank holidays 2024: Northern Ireland

Date

Holiday

Day

1 January

New Year’s Day

Monday

18 March

St Patrick’s Day (substitute day)

Monday

29 March

Good Friday

Friday

1 April

Easter Monday

Monday

6 May

Early May bank holiday

Monday

27 May

Spring bank holiday

Monday

12 July

Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen’s Day)

Friday

26 August

Summer bank holiday

Monday

25 December

Christmas Day

Wednesday

26 December

Boxing Day

Thursday

How many bank holidays will we have in 2024?

As always, it depends on which country you call home. In England and Wales, you'll be treated to eight bank holidays. In Scotland, tick on one more for nine. And, in Northern Ireland, you can experience the most bank holidays at ten.

When will most of the bank holidays occur?

Most UK bank holidays happen on a Monday. This is mainly due to the 'substitute day' model, where a bank holiday that would otherwise happen on the weekend is transferred to the upcoming Monday. This typically leads to a large proportion of holidays happening on Monday, with the typical exceptions being Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

How do you maximise your annual leave for 2024?

Many employees in the UK will be thinking about how they can make the most out of their annual leave in 2024. For employers, they will need to plan around holidays to ensure they have enough people at work (and track those absences accordingly).

Some common methods include:

  • Simply planning ahead - Knowing which bank holidays are happening in 2024, and when they are happening, is the first step. It helps immensely to plan ahead and scope out potential vacation days well in advance.

  • Embrace 'bridge days' - Commonly referred to as 'bridge days' in other European countries, think about how you can partner your holiday with a bank holiday (effectively adding a 'free day' to the mix).

As an employer, you may even want to think about how you educate and promote around bank holidays for your employees. For many, this could be a teaching opportunity to help employees embrace wellbeing, enjoy much-needed time off and unplug.

Does your employer have a leave management system?

personio absence bank holidays
Tracking absences, accruals and bank holidays is easier with Personio. Our modern absence management system is designed with purpose to meet the needs of UK companies.

The world of work is only becoming more complex. The last thing you should be worrying about is calculating holiday entitlements, tracking them or ensuring you are legally compliant. Allow us to help.

Personio is an all-in-one HR software that helps upgrade your people operations for now and the future. That includes a leave management software that can manage holiday requests, track every kind of leave (from emergencies to sicknesses and bank holidays) alongside all of your other core HR processes.

8,000+ customers in the UK and Europe trust us to help. Get in touch with one of our helpful HR experts today, or start your own free trial to give Personio a go right away.

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