Bank Holidays: Included or Extra?

The two ways employers describe it

"28 days including bank holidays" — your 28-day statutory entitlement includes the bank holidays within it. If there are 8 bank holidays in your region and you get 28 days including them, your actual base holiday is 20 days; the other 8 are bank holidays.

"28 days plus bank holidays" — your 28-day statutory entitlement is separate from bank holidays. You get 28 days base holiday plus an additional 8 (or 10) bank holidays on top, for a total of 36 days.

The trap: Both versions technically meet the statutory minimum in England & Wales. But they are not the same. If you work in Northern Ireland where there are typically 10 bank holidays, "28 days including bank holidays" means your base holiday is only 18 days — 2 fewer than the same wording in England & Wales.

Bank holidays by nation

The number of bank holidays differs across the UK:

• England & Wales: typically 8 bank holidays per year (Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May bank holiday, Spring bank holiday, Summer bank holiday)
• Scotland: typically 8 bank holidays per year (different dates from England in some cases)
• Northern Ireland: typically 10 bank holidays per year (the above 8 plus St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne)

Note: the actual dates change year to year and the government can designate additional one-off bank holidays (e.g. for royal events). Always check GOV.UK bank holiday dates for the current year.

What to check in your contract

Look at your employment contract or staff handbook for the holiday clause. It should state clearly:

• The total number of days holiday per year
• Whether bank holidays are included in or additional to that figure
• Any variation by region or nation if your employer operates across the UK

If your contract says "statutory minimum" without specifying a number, your entitlement is 5.6 weeks (28 days for a 5-day worker) — which may or may not include bank holidays depending on how it is structured.

Part-time workers and bank holidays

If you work part-time and a bank holiday falls on a day you would normally work, you are entitled to a substitute day's holiday or pay in lieu. Your employer cannot simply refuse to recognise it.

If your employer gives all employees — including part-time workers — the same number of bank holidays off (e.g. all staff get 8 days), part-time workers may lose out if their working days don't coincide with the bank holidays. In that case, your employer should give you a substitute day off or pay in lieu for any bank holidays that fall on non-working days.