UK Bank Holidays in 2024: the complete list
UK bank holidays refer to government-approved holidays for long weekends and long-deserved breaks. They give people a well-earned respite from the daily grind and a chance to recharge their batteries.
Your team members need that, and you too. Time off helps you and your team to do their best work and stay engaged.
That said, bank holidays do present some logistical staffing challenges that compound on themselves if you leave them until the last minute. For one thing, planning for bank holidays means you have to anticipate planning for long vacations.
I’ve been where you are. At Charlie, I’m in charge of making sure all of our HR processes move smoothly. That includes managing time off when a quarter of the staff take time off around bank holidays.
I’d like to give you some information on UK bank holidays, including when most UK bank holidays are happening in 2024, and how you can plan around them as an HR professional.
What are UK bank holidays?
In the United Kingdom, bank holidays are public holidays when most businesses are closed. UK bank holidays are determined by the government.
It’s important to note that they are not the same nationwide and can vary by region within the UK. For instance, Scotland and Northern Ireland may have different bank holidays from Wales.
Another thing to keep in mind is that most bank holidays fall on a Monday or a Friday. This is so that the bank holiday can be part of an extended long weekend.
This is great if you want to take a beach trip to Brighton for the weekend. It’s less great if you’re an HR professional at a small business.
List of UK bank holidays in 2024
With that out of the way, here is the list of 2024 UK Bank Holidays for the coming year:
| Date | Day of the Week | Bank Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| 1 January | Monday | New Year's Day |
| 29 March | Friday | Good Friday |
| 1 April | Monday | Easter Monday |
| 6 May | Monday | Early May Bank Holiday |
| 27 May | Monday | Spring Bank Holiday |
| 26 August | Monday | Summer Bank Holiday |
| 25 December | Wednesday | Christmas Day |
| 26 December | Thursday | Boxing day |
Now you can know that they’re coming in advance and plan accordingly.
UK bank holidays between 2023 and 2024
There are two remaining bank holiday dates in 2023:
- 25 December (Monday): Christmas Day
- 26 December (Tuesday): Boxing Day
When most bank holidays occur in 2024
Most UK bank holidays in 2024 occur in the spring and summer months, particularly around May and August.
Make a note of that. You’ll need to be aware of that as you plan for your staff needs in 2024. These months tend to be busy as many employees will want to extend their long weekends or go on extended holidays. You’ll need to account for that somehow. It also may be a good idea to avoid launching important projects close to bank holiday dates.
As for your team members, the spring and summer 2024 UK Bank Holidays afford them an excellent opportunity to plan annual leave or long weekends. Knowing what they are can help you anticipate when they’re likely to take vacations, and when you’ll distribute holiday pay.
That’s not a problem with the CharlieHR leave management system. The platform pre-fills your company calendar with all the UK bank holidays for 2024. You can even customise it based on your own annual leave policy so that it adjusts and pro-rates any holiday leave allowance.
What small business owners and HR professionals need to know about bank holidays
So much for the dates and figures. Why is any of this your problem, though?
Planning around UK bank holidays presents a special challenge for small business owners trying to do the best they can with what they have.
Here are just a few of the things you’ll have to consider when you plan around the 2024 UK bank holidays.
Legal obligations
If you’re an HR professional working behind the scenes to manage time off in a small business, then you’ll want to know where you stand legally on bank holidays.
For example, you’re not legally required to give employees extra pay on a bank holiday, unless it’s stated in their employment contract.
Annual leave entitlements and pay
UK bank holidays also affect annual leave entitlements and pay. Generally, these holidays are stacked on a company’s annual leave allowance.
For example, Charlie gives all employees 25 days of annual leave plus bank holidays. However, this can vary from business to business. it’s clear to have that spelt out clearly somewhere in your HR policies regarding annual leave.
Tips on managing staffing during bank holidays
A staffing challenge can quickly compound into a staffing problem if multiple employees request time off around bank holidays simultaneously.
One way you can make this easier on yourself is by using Charlie to keep track of time off requests. That way you’ll be able to identify any schedule challenges or staffing gaps around the UK bank holidays well in advance.
CharlieHR automatically flags when there are time-off overlaps, with multiple team members requesting holidays at the same time. This way, you can think twice before approving time off that may cause staff shortages down the line.
You'll also get the chance to see if any team members has any carry over annual leave they need to take.
FAQs about UK bank holidays for small business owners
1. Do I have to close my business on bank holidays?
No. You’re not obligated to stay closed on bank holidays. However, if you choose to remain open, you may be required to pay your employees extra for working on a bank holiday, depending on their contract.
2. How do bank holidays affect part-time employees?
Part-time employees are also entitled to bank holidays, but their benefits may be pro-rated depending on when they work.
For instance, say a part-time employee works three days a week. They would be entitled to 60% of the eight bank holidays or 4.8 days.
3. Can I include bank holidays in my annual leave entitlement?
Yes, you can feel free to include bank holidays in your annual leave entitlement. However, that has to be clearly stated for the record in your employee contracts.
For example, if your annual leave policy gives “28 days of annual leave including bank holidays”, then employees do not get extra days for bank holidays.
How CharlieHR can help you plan for UK bank holidays
Managing annual leave requests around bank holidays can be extremely frustrating when they all pile up at once. That’s a place where the Charlie platform can be very helpful.
Automated annual leave tracking
Charlie automates annual leave tracking for you. No more messing about with manual calculations and spreadsheets such an Excel holiday tracker – everything is done within the platform itself.
For example, if your business is usually closed on bank holidays, Charlie will automatically take that into account in all holiday pro-rata calculations.
Pre-filled company calendar
Charlie pre-fills your company calendar with all the 2024 UK bank holidays already. That saves you the extra bother of entering them in yourself.
Customisable annual leave policies
Charlie gives you the flexibility to adjust and pro-rate your holiday allowances based on your specific company policy. The system can be customised to fit your needs whether your team works on bank holidays or not.
To experience these features for yourself, start a free trial and make your UK bank holiday planning a breeze.
Want to find out more about time off management? Check out our resources:
