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December 2026 has two bank holidays: Friday 25 December (Christmas Day) and Monday 28 December (the substitute day for Boxing Day, which falls on Saturday 26 December). There is no bank holiday on Christmas Eve, on Boxing Day itself, or on New Year’s Eve.
Every date from Christmas Eve to 4 January, checked
| Date | What it is | Bank holiday? |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 24 December 2026 | Christmas Eve | No — a working day, though many employers close early or give it as goodwill leave |
| Friday 25 December 2026 | Christmas Day | Yes — whole UK |
| Saturday 26 December 2026 | Boxing Day | No bank holiday on the Saturday itself — the holiday moves to Monday |
| Sunday 27 December 2026 | — | No — an ordinary Sunday |
| Monday 28 December 2026 | Boxing Day (substitute day) | Yes — whole UK |
| Tuesday 29 December 2026 | — | No |
| Wednesday 30 December 2026 | — | No |
| Thursday 31 December 2026 | New Year’s Eve | No |
| Friday 1 January 2027 | New Year’s Day | Yes — whole UK |
| Saturday 2 January 2027 | 2nd January | No on the day; Scotland observes it on Monday 4 January 2027 |
| Monday 4 January 2027 | 2nd January (substitute day) | Scotland only. Elsewhere, the first working day of 2027 |
In Scotland the December run is preceded by St Andrew’s Day, Monday 30 November 2026, which this year falls on its actual date and needs no substitute. Northern Ireland has no December date beyond the two shared ones. The full year, nation by nation, is at UK bank holidays 2026.
Why 28 December, and what it means if you work Saturdays
When a fixed-date bank holiday lands on a Saturday or Sunday, a substitute day is appointed on the next weekday that is not already a holiday. 26 December 2026 is a Saturday; the Sunday is skipped; Monday 28 December becomes the statutory day off. Boxing Day itself is still Boxing Day — the sales still start, the football is still played — but it is not the bank holiday.
The people this affects most are those who normally work Saturdays — retail, hospitality, care, transport. Whether you get the 26th off, or the 28th, or neither with a day in lieu, is a matter of contract, not statute: there is no legal right to time off on a bank holiday or to extra pay for working one. A contract that promises “Christmas Day and Boxing Day” off is read differently from one that promises “all public and bank holidays”, and this is the year that difference bites. Our Boxing Day guide has the background; working on bank holidays covers days in lieu.
Christmas Day — Friday 25 December 2026
One of the oldest UK bank holidays, a common-law holiday that predates the 1871 Act. In England and Wales the Christmas Day (Trading) Act 2004 prohibits large shops (over 280 m²) from opening at all; Scotland has the same rule under its 2007 Act, which also covers New Year’s Day. There are no trains, no post and no bank branches open. Full guide to Christmas Day.
Boxing Day substitute — Monday 28 December 2026
A normal bank holiday Monday in practice: banks and government offices closed, most shops open on bank holiday hours, Sunday-style public transport with engineering works likely. Bin collections in many councils move by a day for the rest of that week.
Turning Christmas 2026 into a longer break
| Book these days | Leave used | Off from → to | Days off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nothing | 0 | Fri 25 Dec → Mon 28 Dec | 4 |
| Tue 29, Wed 30, Thu 31 December | 3 | Fri 25 Dec → Sun 3 Jan 2027 | 10 |
| Thu 24 December + Tue 29 – Thu 31 December | 4 | Thu 24 Dec → Sun 3 Jan 2027 | 11 |
| Mon 21 – Thu 24 December + Tue 29 – Thu 31 December | 7 | Sat 19 Dec → Sun 3 Jan 2027 | 16 |
| Tue 29 – Thu 31 December (Scotland) | 3 | Fri 25 Dec → Mon 4 Jan 2027 | 11 |
New Year’s Day 2027 falls on a Friday, which is what makes the 29–31 December booking so efficient. In Scotland the 2 January holiday moves to Monday 4 January, adding a day. Two cautions: many employers run a compulsory shutdown between Christmas and New Year and deduct those days from your allowance; and if your leave year runs January to December, the 29–31 booking must come out of the 2026 allowance — check what is left before you ask. The 2027 side of the break is covered on New Year bank holidays 2027.
Pay, paydays and benefits around the two bank holidays
- Bank holiday pay. There is no statutory premium for working 25 or 28 December; time-and-a-half or double time exist only where a contract or collective agreement says so. See bank holiday pay and the pay calculator.
- Salary dates. A payday that falls on Friday 25 or Monday 28 December is normally brought forward by employers to Thursday 24 December (or earlier — many pay the whole of December early). BACS payments do not process on bank holidays, so anything submitted for the 25th or 28th arrives on Tuesday 29 December unless the employer has adjusted.
- Benefits and pensions. GOV.UK’s standard rule is that a payment due on a bank holiday or weekend is paid on the last working day before it. For December 2026 that means payments due on Friday 25, Saturday 26, Sunday 27 or Monday 28 December should arrive on Thursday 24 December; payments due on Friday 1 January 2027 should arrive on Thursday 31 December. The DWP publishes the confirmed Christmas payment dates each December — check them before relying on this.
- Direct Debits and standing orders due on 25–28 December are collected on Tuesday 29 December. Faster Payments and card payments work as normal throughout.
- Entitlement. Bank holidays can be counted within the statutory 5.6 weeks; part-timers get a pro-rata share. Bank holiday entitlement explains the arithmetic.
What is open from Christmas Eve to 28 December
| Thu 24 Dec | Fri 25 Dec | Sat 26 Dec | Sun 27 Dec | Mon 28 Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Supermarkets, large shops | Open, often closing early (around 6–7pm) | Closed (England, Wales, Scotland by law) | Open — Boxing Day sales; some chains stay shut | Sunday hours (6 hours max for large shops in England & Wales) | Open, bank holiday hours |
| Small shops, pharmacies | Open | Rota pharmacies only | Open | Open | Open |
| Bank branches | Open | Closed | Mostly closed | Closed | Closed |
| Royal Mail | Deliveries | None | None | None | None |
| Trains | Normal, finishing early | None | Very limited | Sunday service; engineering works | Sunday-style; engineering works |
| GP surgeries | Open | Closed — NHS 111 | Closed | Closed | Closed — NHS 111 |
| Bin collections | Usually normal | None | Varies | — | Usually moved a day |
| Parking | Normal | Bank holiday rules | Saturday rules | Sunday rules | Bank holiday rules |
Detail by service: supermarket opening hours and Tesco times, shops, banks, Post Office, Royal Mail (last posting dates are published in November), trains, GP and NHS services, bin collections and parking.
Schools
Most English schools finish the autumn term on Friday 18 December 2026 and return on Monday 4 January 2027; Kent and Northern Ireland schools run to Friday 18 December as well, with the holiday listed as 21 December to 1 January. Scottish and Welsh councils are similar but set their own dates. See schools and bank holidays and your council’s term calendar.
Next year: both Christmas holidays move
In 2027 Christmas Day is a Saturday and Boxing Day a Sunday, so the bank holidays become Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December 2027, and New Year’s Day 2028 (a Saturday) moves to Monday 3 January 2028. Three days of leave on 29–31 December 2027 will again buy ten days off. Details on Christmas bank holidays 2027 and UK bank holidays 2027.
Frequently asked questions
Is 28 December 2026 a bank holiday?
Yes. Monday 28 December 2026 is a bank holiday throughout the UK, as the substitute day for Boxing Day (Saturday 26 December).
Is Boxing Day 2026 a bank holiday?
Boxing Day 2026 is Saturday 26 December. The bank holiday is not observed on the Saturday but moved to Monday 28 December. Whether Saturday workers get the 26th off depends on their contract.
Is Christmas Eve 2026 a bank holiday?
No. Thursday 24 December 2026 is a normal working day. Some employers give it, or the afternoon, as discretionary leave.
Is 25 December 2026 a bank holiday?
Yes. Christmas Day, Friday 25 December 2026, is a bank holiday across the UK.
How many bank holidays are there in December 2026?
Two: Friday 25 December and Monday 28 December. Scotland also has St Andrew’s Day on Monday 30 November, the day before December begins.
Is New Year’s Eve 2026 a bank holiday?
No. Thursday 31 December 2026 is a working day. New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January 2027, is the bank holiday.
Do I get a day in lieu because Boxing Day falls on a Saturday?
Not by law. The substitute bank holiday on Monday 28 December is the statutory replacement. If you have to work on the Monday, any day in lieu or extra pay comes from your contract or your employer’s policy.
When will I be paid if my payday is 25 or 28 December 2026?
Most employers bring the payment forward to Thursday 24 December. Benefit and State Pension payments due on those dates are normally paid on Thursday 24 December under GOV.UK’s last-working-day-before rule; confirm with the DWP’s published Christmas dates.
Are shops open on Boxing Day 2026?
Mostly yes — Saturday 26 December is a normal trading day in law, and the Boxing Day sales go ahead. A number of large chains choose to stay closed; check the store. On Christmas Day large shops must close in England, Wales and Scotland.
Which bank holiday comes after 28 December 2026?
New Year’s Day, Friday 1 January 2027. In Scotland, Monday 4 January 2027 follows as the substitute for 2 January.
Are these dates confirmed?
Yes. Both dates come from the official GOV.UK bank holidays dataset. Substitute days are fixed by Royal Proclamation under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971 and are not changed once proclaimed.