Scotland Bank Holidays

The differences are rooted in Scottish custom and law. 2nd January reflects Hogmanay — the new-year celebration has long been a two-day affair in Scotland, and the extra day was kept when bank holidays were formalised. St Andrew’s Day, marking Scotland’s patron saint on 30 November, became a bank holiday under the St Andrew’s Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007, though employers are not obliged to give it as a day off any more than any other.

The absence of Easter Monday and the early-August Summer holiday are the differences most likely to catch out anyone used to the England & Wales calendar. A deadline counted in working days across early August can land a day earlier or later in Scotland than south of the border, simply because the Summer Monday sits at the start of the month rather than the end.

On top of the national bank holidays, many Scottish towns and cities observe their own local holidays — spring and autumn holidays, trades fortnights, and the like. These are set locally, are not UK-wide bank holidays, and are not reflected in this calendar, so always check local arrangements where they matter to you.

If a contract is governed by Scots law, count its business-day obligations on the Scottish calendar — not the English one. The same goes for payroll: BACS and other payment cycles pause on Scottish bank holidays, and the early-January and early-August dates need to be built into pay-run timetables for Scottish staff. For a UK-wide workforce, the cleanest approach is to track each region separately rather than assume one calendar covers everyone.

Our guides on counting business days for contracts and handling bank holidays in payroll go into the detail. To count working days on the Scottish calendar, pick Scotland in the calculator below.