Fewer Bank Holidays in 2024–2025:
What Employers Need to Know
If your business operates an annual leave year from 1 April to 31 March, there’s an important change this year: the 2024–2025 leave year includes only seven bank holidays, one fewer than usual.This follows the 2023–2024 leave year, which included ten bank holidays, due in part to the additional public holiday granted for the Coronation of King Charles III. In contrast, 2024–2025 returns to the standard pattern—but without a Good Friday falling within the leave year.
Bank Holidays in England & Wales (April 2024 – March 2025)
• Easter Monday – 1 April 2024
• Early May Bank Holiday – 6 May 2024
• Spring Bank Holiday – 27 May 2024
• Summer Bank Holiday – 26 August 2024
• Christmas Day – 25 December 2024
• Boxing Day – 26 December 2024
• New Year’s Day – 1 January 2025
Good Friday falls on 18 April 2025, meaning it will be counted in the following holiday year for businesses with an April–March leave year.
What This Means for Employers
This reduction in bank holidays may lead to issues with holiday entitlement, particularly if employment contracts state that employees are entitled to a set number of days inclusive of bank holidays. For example, if a contract offers 20 days of annual leave plus 8 bank holidays, the employee would receive just 27 days this year—below the legal minimum of 28 days under the Working Time Regulations 1998.
Steps Employers Should Take:
• Review Employment Contracts: Check if holiday entitlement is expressed as a total number of days including bank holidays, or as separate entitlements.
• Ensure Compliance: If the reduced number of bank holidays would push employees below statutory minimums, top up their leave to ensure at least 28 days total.
• Communicate Clearly: Inform staff about the change and how it may affect their entitlements.
• Plan for Carry-Over: If workers have missed out on leave due to the reduced bank holiday schedule and haven’t been encouraged to take it, you may need to carry it over to the 2025–2026 leave year.
• Manage Staffing Levels: Encourage staff to book leave early to help with resource planning, especially around busy times.
FAQs
Q: Can we reduce an employee’s leave entitlement due to fewer bank holidays?
A: Only if their contract clearly ties entitlement to the number of bank holidays, and the overall leave still meets the legal minimum. Otherwise, you must top up their leave.
Q: Are we legally required to give time off on bank holidays?
A: No—unless the employment contract says so. The law only requires that workers receive 28 days of paid leave annually (pro-rata for part-time employees).
Q: How should we handle part-time workers and bank holidays?
A: Holiday should be calculated pro-rata. You must ensure part-time staff receive a fair allocation of paid leave, including for bank holidays, even if they don’t usually work on those days.
Q: Do we have to let staff carry leave over?
A: If you haven’t encouraged staff to take their leave or made them aware they could lose it, you’re required to let them carry over unused statutory leave.
Employers should act now to avoid accidental underpayments or non-compliance with holiday entitlements this year. If you’re unsure how this change affects your workforce, now is a good time to seek legal advice or conduct a contract review.