Although many workers take time off work on bank and public holidays, your employer is not required by law to allow you time off work on these days. However, the terms and conditions of your contract of employment may give you this right, either with or without pay.

Most workers, with some exceptions, have the right to take four weeks’ paid holiday from work. Your contract may say that you can take bank and public holidays in addition to your four weeks’ paid leave. If not, you may have to take them as part of this leave. Even if your contract of employment does not say in writing that you can take bank and public holidays in addition to leave, you may still have this right if it is usual for other people at your place of work to take time off on these days. Your contract of employment may give you the right to extra pay instead of time off work.

If you are unsure whether you have the right to take time off work on bank and public holidays, you should talk to an experienced adviser, for example, at a Citizens Advice Bureau. To search for details of your nearest CAB, including those that can give advice by email, click on nearest CAB .

The expected dates for bank and public holidays in 2003 and 2004 are shown in the table below. These include Christmas Day and Good Friday. If a bank or public holiday falls on a weekend, you will usually get a different day off work instead. This will often be the following Monday. However, if Christmas Day falls on a weekend, the following Tuesday will also be a holiday.

	2003	2004
New Year’s Day	1 January	1 January
Good Friday	18 April	9 April
Easter Monday	21 April	12 April
Early May Bank Holiday	5 May	3 May
Spring Bank Holiday	26 May	31 May
Summer Bank Holiday	25 August	30 August
Christmas Day	25 December	25 December
Boxing Day	26 December	26 December
Substitute bank holiday for 26 December	-	27 December
Substitute bank holiday for 25 December	-	28 December

	2003	2004
New Year's Day (or in lieu of 1 Jan	1 January	1 January
St Patrick's Day	17 March	17 March
Good Friday	18 April	9 April
Easter Monday	21 April	12 April
Early May Bank Holiday	5 May	3 May
Spring Bank Holiday	26 May	31 May
Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day)	14 July	12 July
Summer Bank Holiday	25 August	30 August
Christmas Day	25 December	25 December
Boxing Day	26 December	26 December
Substitute bank holiday for 26 December	-	27 December
Substitute bank holiday for 25 December	-	28 December

The expected dates for bank holidays in Scotland for 2001 and 2002 are shown in the table below. They include 1 and 2 January. There are also a number of public holidays in Scotland that vary depending on where you live or work. If a bank or public holiday falls on a weekend, an alternative day is chosen which will normally be the following Monday. If 1 January falls on a weekend, the following Monday and Tuesday will both be bank holidays, in respect of New Year and New Year’s Day.

	2003	2004
New Year	1 January	1 January
New Year	2 January	2 January
Good Friday	18 April	9 April
Early May Bank Holiday	5 May	3 May
Spring Bank Holiday	26 May	31 May
Summer Bank Holiday	4 August	2 August
Christmas Day	25 December	25 December
Boxing Day	26 December	26 December
Substitute bank holiday for 26 December	-	27 December
Substitute bank holiday for 25 December	-	28 December

Sometimes the government grants an extra bank or public holiday in order to celebrate a special occasion. (A recent example of this was extra holiday on 4 June to celebrate the Queen’s Golden Jubilee). The dates of bank holidays may also vary. (For example, in 2002, the spring bank holiday was moved from the end of May to 3 June).