Working days calculator
Monday to Friday, minus bank holidays, between any two dates. The count that deadlines, SLAs and notice periods actually run on.
Guide
How to use it
- Pick the start and end dates.
- Tick count the end date itself if the final day is a full working day of the period (deadlines usually: yes).
- Read the working-day count, the tiles show how many bank holidays were skipped and the calendar-day equivalent.
- Scotland or Northern Ireland? Add their extra holidays mentally, this list is England and Wales.
Examples
Where working days bite
"Refund within 10 working days" starting Maundy Thursday spans Good Friday, Easter Monday and two weekends: 16 calendar days. The gap between promise and calendar is exactly what this counts.
The Christmas trap: 16 calendar days containing just 8 working days (Christmas, Boxing Day and New Year all falling in the window). Project plans die here every year.
Subject access requests and many statutory duties run in working days. Count from the day after receipt, tick inclusive for the final day, and diary the result.
Method
How it works
The counter walks the actual calendar from start to end, dropping Saturdays, Sundays and the built-in England and Wales bank holiday list, 2025 through 2027, sourced from gov.uk, stored as one editable constant and flagged in code for annual review.
Substitute days are handled the way the official list handles them: when Christmas falls at a weekend, the substitute weekday is the holiday, which is why late December counts differ year to year.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which holidays are excluded exactly?
England and Wales bank holidays: New Year, Good Friday, Easter Monday, both May holidays, the August holiday and Christmas/Boxing Day with their substitutes. Scotland adds 2 January and St Andrew’s, Northern Ireland adds St Patrick’s and the Twelfth, neither is removed here.
Does "working days" include the start day?
This tool counts from the start date, and the end date only with the inclusive tick. Legal conventions often start "the day after" an event, choose your start date accordingly.
What about my company’s extra closure days?
Private closures (Christmas shutdowns, POETS days) are not bank holidays. Subtract them yourself from this count.
Are the holiday dates guaranteed right?
They match the published gov.uk list for 2025 to 2027 as of this build. Governments occasionally add one-off holidays (coronations, jubilees), for dates beyond 2027 or newly announced days, check gov.uk.
Do half-day closures count?
Christmas Eve habits vary by employer and are not holidays in law. This tool counts whole days only.
Why does the same fortnight differ by country?
Different holiday calendars: a 10-working-day span in London can be 9 in Belfast. Cross-border SLAs should name the calendar they run on.
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