Working days calculator
Count the days, weeks and working days between two dates, leaving out weekends and UK bank holidays for England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Or add a number of working days to a date to find a deadline.
These settings apply to both calculators below.
Days between two dates
Add or take away working days
Counting starts the day after the "from" date. Use a minus sign, like -5, to count back.
Bank holidays from GOV.UK.
Updates as you type. Runs in your browser. Nothing you enter is stored or sent.
How this calculator works
It walks through every date in the range and sorts each one into a working day, a day off in your working week (normally Saturday and Sunday), or a bank holiday that falls on one of your working days.
- Calendar days are every day in the range. With "Include the end date" ticked, both dates count, so Monday to Friday of one week is 5 days. Untick it for the plain difference between the dates, so Monday to Friday is 4.
- Working days are the calendar days that are on your working week and aren't bank holidays where you are. A bank holiday that falls on a weekend isn't counted twice; the substitute weekday is the one taken off.
- Weeks are calendar days ÷ 7, shown as whole weeks and days too.
- Adding working days starts counting the day after the "from" date. 1 working day after a Friday is the next Monday, or the Tuesday if Monday is a bank holiday.
Bank holiday dates come from GOV.UK's UK bank holidays list, which this site refreshes daily, so new years and one-off extra holidays appear on their own. GOV.UK publishes dates a couple of years ahead. Outside the years it covers, only your working week is taken off, and the calculator tells you so.
Upcoming bank holidays
The next bank holidays in England and Wales:
| Date | Bank holiday |
|---|---|
| Fri 25 Dec 2026 | Christmas Day |
Working days in a year
Monday to Friday, without bank holidays, from GOV.UK's published dates:
| Year | England and Wales | Scotland | N. Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 253 | 251 | 251 |
| 2027 | 253 | 252 | 251 |
| 2028 | 252 | 251 | 250 |
A year has 260 or 261 weekdays (262 in a leap year that starts on a Monday to Thursday). England and Wales usually have 8 bank holidays, Scotland 9 and Northern Ireland 10; Scotland has an extra one in 2026 for the football World Cup. When Christmas Day, Boxing Day or New Year's Day falls at a weekend, the next weekday becomes a substitute bank holiday.
Tips
- Notice periods and deadlines are often in working days. Use "Add working days" from the day notice is given; check your contract on whether that day itself counts.
- Booking holiday? Count the working days you'll be off with "Include the end date" ticked, and check that against your allowance with the holiday entitlement calculator.
- Part-time? Untick the days you don't work. A Tuesday to Thursday week counts only those days, and bank holidays only matter when they land on them.
- Working across the UK? Scotland has 2 January and St Andrew's Day (30 November), and Northern Ireland has St Patrick's Day (17 March) and the Battle of the Boyne (12 July), so pick the right list.
- Just need hours? The time difference calculator works out the hours and minutes between two times.
Frequently asked questions
How many working days are there in 2027?
In England and Wales there are 253 working days in 2027: 261 weekdays minus 8 bank holidays. Scotland has 252 and Northern Ireland 251.
Does it include the start and end dates?
The start date always counts. Tick "Include the end date" to count it as well, which is what you want for holiday from Monday to Friday (5 days). Untick it for the difference between two dates, like the number of nights.
How do I add working days to a date?
Enter the date and the number of working days in "Add or take away working days". Counting starts the next day and skips weekends and bank holidays, so in England 5 working days after Monday 21 December 2026 is Wednesday 30 December, because Christmas Day and the Boxing Day substitute on Monday 28th are skipped.
Can I count back working days?
Yes. Put a minus sign in front, like -10, to find the date 10 working days earlier.
Which bank holidays does it use?
The official list from GOV.UK for the part of the UK you choose, including one-off holidays and substitute days. Pick "No bank holidays" to count weekdays only.
What if my dates are years ahead?
GOV.UK publishes bank holidays a couple of years ahead. For dates after that, only your working week is taken off, and a note under the result says how far the bank holiday list goes.
Does it save what I type?
No. Everything is worked out in your browser, and nothing is stored or sent anywhere. The page loads GOV.UK's bank holiday list through this site, and that request contains nothing you type.