Working days calculator
Count the working days between two dates. Weekends and official UK bank holidays are excluded automatically.
How working days are counted
The calculator counts every day from the start date to the end date, including both. It then removes Saturdays, Sundays and any official bank holidays that fall on a weekday in the part of the UK you choose.
UK bank holidays
- England and Wales: 8 bank holidays a year: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, early May, spring, summer (August), Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
- Scotland: 9 a year: adds 2 January and St Andrew's Day, has its summer bank holiday at the start of August, and has no Easter Monday.
- Northern Ireland: 10 a year: adds St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day).
Common uses
- Working out notice periods and contract deadlines.
- Planning project timelines and delivery dates.
- Calculating payment terms, such as "30 working days".
- Counting how much annual leave a trip will use.
Frequently asked questions
How many working days are there in a year in the UK?
In England and Wales there are usually 252 to 254 working days in a year: 260 or 261 weekdays minus 8 bank holidays. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different numbers of bank holidays.
Does this include the start and end dates?
Yes. Both the start date and the end date are counted if they're working days. For example, Monday to Friday of a normal week is 5 working days.
Where do the bank holiday dates come from?
We use the official bank holiday list published by GOV.UK, which includes any special one-off bank holidays.
What about bank holidays that fall on a weekend?
When a bank holiday such as Christmas Day falls on a weekend, a 'substitute day' is given on the next weekday. The official list already includes these substitute days, so the calculator handles them.
Last checked 5 October 2026.