Yes, your UK employer can require you to work on bank holidays — there is no statutory right to take bank holidays off. The common belief that bank holidays are guaranteed days off is a myth. Under the Working Time Regulations 1998, bank holidays are simply part of your 5.6 weeks (28 days for a full-time employee) of annual leave, and your employer decides when you take them.
Key Takeaways
- There is no statutory right to take bank holidays off in the UK — this is a common misconception.
- If your contract says you have bank holidays off, that is a contractual right that your employer cannot unilaterally change.
- Employers can include bank holidays within your 5.6-week statutory annual leave entitlement — they are not additional days on top.
- If you work on a bank holiday, you are entitled to be paid at your normal rate (or a higher rate if your contract says so).
- Bank holidays that fall on a weekend are usually substituted to the next working day — but your employer is not required to do this if your contract says otherwise.
Contract Matters More Than the Law
The starting point is your employment contract. If your contract says “the company observes all bank holidays” or “you are entitled to 8 bank holidays per year in addition to your annual leave,” then those days are contractually guaranteed. Your employer cannot change this without your agreement.
However, many contracts simply say “you are entitled to 28 days’ annual leave including bank holidays.” In that case, bank holidays are part of your annual leave allowance. Your employer can require you to work them and take those days off at another time.
Check your contract wording:
| Contract says | Bank holiday entitlement |
|---|---|
| “28 days annual leave including bank holidays” | Employer decides when you take them |
| “20 days annual leave plus 8 bank holidays” | Bank holidays are additional contractual days |
| “Bank holidays as they fall” | Usually paid days off, but check the full wording |
| “X days annual leave, plus public holidays” | Additional days — cannot be forced to work |
Can My Employer Ask Me to Work on Christmas Day or Easter Sunday?
In most cases, yes. Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Easter Monday, and May Day are bank holidays — the same rules apply. However, some retailers have specific restrictions under the Sunday Trading Act 1994, and employment contracts in some sectors (education, financial services) customarily treat these as non-working days.
If your contract does not guarantee bank holidays off, your employer can rota you in — but they must still give you your full annual leave entitlement at other times.
What About the Twelve Days of Christmas?
Some employers close between Christmas and New Year and require all employees to take annual leave during that period. This is lawful — see our Christmas shutdown guide for the rules on how much notice is required.
What If I’m a Part-Time Worker?
Part-time workers have the same total annual leave entitlement as full-time workers (5.6 weeks), but their bank holiday entitlement is proportional. If a full-time worker with a Monday-to-Friday pattern gets 8 bank holidays, a part-time worker who works Tuesdays and Thursdays is entitled to a proportional share — typically calculated as the number of bank holidays that fall on their working days, or a pro-rata addition to their leave balance.
The Part-time Workers (Prevention of Less Favourable Treatment) Regulations 2000 protect part-time workers from being treated less favourably — your holiday entitlement must be no less favourable on a pro-rata basis.
FAQ
Can my employer offer time and a half for working bank holidays?
Yes, if the contract or a collective agreement provides for this. There is no statutory requirement for enhanced pay for working bank holidays. Some employers offer double time or a day in lieu as an incentive.
What if I’m on sick leave during a bank holiday?
A bank holiday that falls during sick leave still counts as a bank holiday, not as a sickness absence. However, whether you can reclaim that bank holiday depends on your employer’s policy and whether you were too ill to enjoy the day off.
Do I get a day in lieu if I work a bank holiday?
Only if your contract says so. Some contracts offer a “day in lieu” for working a bank holiday. If yours does not, you simply receive your normal pay for the day, and the bank holiday counts as one of your annual leave days taken when you eventually take it off.
Can my employer change my bank holiday entitlement?
A contractual entitlement to bank holidays off cannot be changed without your agreement. A non-contractual arrangement can be changed with reasonable notice. Any change that reduces your total annual leave below 5.6 weeks would be unlawful.
Are bank holidays different in Scotland and Northern Ireland?
Yes. Scotland has different bank holidays from England and Wales (e.g. St Andrew’s Day, no May Day bank holiday in some years). Northern Ireland has additional bank holidays (St Patrick’s Day, Battle of the Boyne). Your entitlement follows the bank holidays for the nation where you work. See our UK nations bank holidays guide for full details.