How the count works
Pick a start date and an end date and the calculator walks through every calendar day between them, both dates included. Saturdays and Sundays are dropped, and with the tick box on (the default) it also drops England and Wales bank holidays for 2026 and 2027. What is left is the number of days you can actually get things done: deadlines, notice periods, delivery promises, project plans.
Counting inclusively matters. Monday to Friday of the same week is 5 working days here, not 4, because both ends count. That matches how people talk about work ("I have five days to finish this") rather than how mathematicians measure gaps. If you want the gap instead, the days between dates calculator counts that way.
Two things to keep in mind. First, "working days" here means Monday to Friday; if you work weekends, or part-time on set days, the raw weekday count in the results lets you adjust. Second, the tool knows nothing about your own annual leave, so subtract any booked holiday from the answer before you promise a delivery date.
Worked examples
The bank holidays used
These are the England and Wales dates published on gov.uk, including substitute days where a holiday falls on a weekend:
- 2026: Thursday 1 January, Friday 3 April (Good Friday), Monday 6 April (Easter Monday), Monday 4 May, Monday 25 May, Monday 31 August, Friday 25 December, Monday 28 December (substitute for Boxing Day, which is a Saturday).
- 2027: Friday 1 January, Friday 26 March (Good Friday), Monday 29 March (Easter Monday), Monday 3 May, Monday 31 May, Monday 30 August, Monday 27 December and Tuesday 28 December (substitutes for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, which fall on the weekend).
All 16 of those dates land on weekdays, which is by design: when a bank holiday falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the day off moves to the next working day.
Scotland, Northern Ireland and other years
Bank holidays are not the same across the UK. Scotland takes 2 January and St Andrew's Day but works Easter Monday; Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day and the Twelfth of July. If you are outside England and Wales, treat the result as a starting point and adjust for your nation's list.
For dates before 2026 or after 2027 the calculator still works, but it can only exclude weekends, since future bank holidays are announced year by year and one-off holidays do happen (royal events have added extra days in the past). The note under the result tells you when your range runs beyond the built-in holiday data.
Frequently asked questions
Are both dates included in the count?
Yes. This calculator counts every working day from the start date to the end date inclusive, because that is how people plan work: Monday to Friday of the same week is 5 working days. If you want the gap between two dates instead, use the days between dates calculator.
Which bank holidays does it exclude?
The eight England and Wales bank holidays in each of 2026 and 2027, using the official gov.uk dates including substitute days. For dates outside those two years the calculator excludes weekends only, and tells you so in the note under the result.
Do Scotland and Northern Ireland have different bank holidays?
Yes. Scotland has 2 January and St Andrew's Day but not Easter Monday, and Northern Ireland adds St Patrick's Day and the Twelfth of July. This tool uses the England and Wales list, so adjust the result by a day or two if you are in Scotland or Northern Ireland.
How many working days are there in 2026?
In England and Wales, 253. The year has 365 days and runs Thursday to Thursday, giving 261 weekdays, and all 8 bank holidays fall on weekdays, leaving 253 working days.
What happens when a bank holiday falls on a weekend?
A substitute weekday is given instead, normally the following Monday. The lists used here already reflect that: for example Boxing Day 2026 is a Saturday, so the holiday moves to Monday 28 December 2026.