Bank Holidays in United Kingdom in 2022 | Office Holidays (2024)

FAQs

Bank Holidays in United Kingdom in 2022 | Office Holidays? ›

How Many Bank Holidays Are There In 2022? As far as public holidays in 2022 for the UK are concerned, England and Wales enjoyed a total of nine bank holidays.

How Many Bank Holidays Are There In 2022? As far as public holidays in 2022 for the UK are concerned, England and Wales enjoyed a total of nine bank holidays.

It's up to your employer to decide whether or not you have to work on bank holidays. If your place of work is closed on bank holidays, your employer can make you take them as part of your annual leave entitlement.

There are no holidays in the United Kingdom today.

Before 1871, we only had 4 holidays: Christmas Day, 1st May (May Day), 1st November (All Saint's Day) and Good Friday. In England in 1871, Easter Monday, Whitsunday, first Monday in August and Boxing Day/St. Stephen's Day became bank holidays.

Why do we have bank holidays? Bank holidays originated in the UK in 1871, when banks and financial institutions would take days off. As time went on, businesses, schools, and the government joined in, and now bank holidays are celebrated by everyone.

Compare that to the eight we have and you can see why there's a campaign for the UK to have more Bank Holidays – only Mexico has less than us, with seven.

The term “bank” holiday is used interchangeably with “public” holiday. For all practical purposes there is no difference. There is, however, an academic difference between bank holidays derived from statute and public holidays at common law (such as Christmas Day in England and Wales).

Bank holidays are holidays when banks and many other businesses are closed for the day. Public holidays are holidays which have been observed through custom and practice, such as Christmas Day.

If a bank holiday falls on a day you do not normally work you are still entitled to time off but this will likely be in lieu so as not to unfairly discriminate against you.

Why is Monday a bank holiday in UK? ›

If a bank holiday is on a weekend, a 'substitute' weekday becomes a bank holiday, normally the following Monday.

Find out more about 2024 UK bank holidays, including what's open when and key dates such as Easter and Christmas. The UK has about eight public holidays a year. Some businesses and attractions in London may be closed or have limited opening hours on bank holidays. Public transport may also be reduced.

The term "bank holiday" refers to the fact that banking institutions typically close for business on such holidays, as they once used to do on certain saint's days.

England and Wales each have eight bank holidays, Scotland has nine and Northern Ireland has ten. In some years, there have also been additional bank holidays due to special events, such as the King's coronation in 2023.

Bank holidays were first introduced by the Bank Holidays Act of 1871, which designated four holidays in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and five in Scotland.

The following table is a list of countries by number of public holidays excluding non-regular special holidays. Nepal has the highest number of public holidays in the world with 35 annually. Also, Nepal has 6 day working schedule in a week.

England and Wales each have eight bank holidays, Scotland has nine and Northern Ireland has ten. In some years, there have also been additional bank holidays due to special events, such as the King's coronation in 2023.

We've seen some changes in this recently of course. The Queen's jubilee and the day of her funeral meant that there were ten days of bank holidays in 2022. And the coronation of King Charles III on Saturday 6 May, celebrated on Monday 8 May as a bank holiday, will mean the public received nine bank holidays in 2023.

Workers in England and Wales typically get eight bank holidays a year - but some European countries have 15, almost twice as much. The Trades Union Congress (TUC) is calling for a "national conservation" on when new public holidays should be held, and what they should celebrate.