Date planning · UK working days

Add 5, 10 or 20 working days in the UK.

Use this method when a deadline says working days or business days: choose the UK nation, skip weekends, exclude bank holidays and document whether the start day is included.

Direct answer

Most UK working-day calculations skip Saturdays, Sundays and applicable bank holidays.

GOV.UK publishes bank holidays separately for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, so pick the correct division before counting.

Source base: GOV.UK bank holidays and the GOV.UK bank holidays JSON dataset.

SEO focus

add 5 10 20 working days UK

Calculate UK working-day due dates. Updated 2026-05-25.

How to add working days

Step	Action	Why it matters
1	Choose England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland.	Bank holidays differ by nation.
2	Read the wording: working days, business days or calendar days.	The wrong term gives the wrong due date.
3	Decide whether the start day is included.	Many deadlines begin counting from the next day.
4	Skip Saturdays, Sundays and listed bank holidays.	These usually do not count for standard office deadlines.
5	Record the assumption next to the due date.	Useful for payroll, contracts and customer promises.

5 working days

Usually one business week.

Bank holidays can push the due date into the following week.

10 working days

Usually two business weeks.

Check both weeks for public holidays.

20 working days

Roughly four business weeks.

Monthly planning should account for month-end bank holidays.

Before sharing a due date

Confirm the applicable UK nation.
Check whether the deadline is inclusive or exclusive of the start date.
Remove weekends and applicable bank holidays.
Check company closure days, part-time patterns and custom rotas separately.
Share both the due date and the assumptions used.

FAQ

Are bank holidays the same across the UK?: No. GOV.UK lists separate divisions for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Does a company closure day count as a bank holiday?: No. Treat it as an internal rule and document it separately.
Is this legal advice?: No. It is a planning aid. Contracts, policies and statutory rules may define counting differently.

Updated 2026-05-25. This page is independent and does not replace official services, professional advice or site-specific rules.