Bank holidays 2028 in Scotland
GOV.UK lists 9 bank holidays in Scotland for 2028, counting substitute days: 3 January 2028 (New Year’s Day (substitute day)); 4 January 2028 (2nd January (substitute day)); 14 April 2028 (Good Friday); 1 May 2028 (Early May bank holiday); 29 May 2028 (Spring bank holiday); 7 August 2028 (Summer bank holiday); 30 November 2028 (St Andrew’s Day); 25 December 2028 (Christmas Day); 26 December 2028 (Boxing Day). The dates are copied from GOV.UK's data as retrieved on 5 November 2026.
Bank holidays 2028 in Scotland
| Date | Day | Bank holiday | GOV.UK note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 January 2028 | Monday | New Year’s Day | Substitute day |
| 4 January 2028 | Tuesday | 2nd January | Substitute day |
| 14 April 2028 | Friday | Good Friday | |
| 1 May 2028 | Monday | Early May bank holiday | |
| 29 May 2028 | Monday | Spring bank holiday | |
| 7 August 2028 | Monday | Summer bank holiday | |
| 30 November 2028 | Thursday | St Andrew’s Day | |
| 25 December 2028 | Monday | Christmas Day | |
| 26 December 2028 | Tuesday | Boxing Day |
Substitute days
“If a bank holiday is on a weekend, a ‘substitute’ weekday becomes a bank holiday, normally the following Monday.”
GOV.UK marks these 2028 entries for Scotland as substitute days: New Year’s Day on Monday 3 January 2028; 2nd January on Tuesday 4 January 2028.
For Scotland, GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json) lists New Year’s Day as a substitute day on Monday 3 January 2028 and 2nd January as a substitute day on Tuesday 4 January 2028, not the Monday; the Monday is already the New Year’s Day substitute (our reading of GOV.UK’s dates, not a GOV.UK statement).
How Scotland differs from the other two lists
In GOV.UK's 2028 data, 4 January 2028 (2nd January (substitute day)); 7 August 2028 (Summer bank holiday); 30 November 2028 (St Andrew’s Day) appear for Scotland on dates where neither of the other two lists has a bank holiday. The full comparison is on the UK bank holidays 2028 page.
Other regions: England and Wales and Northern Ireland.
Compared with 2027
GOV.UK lists 9 bank holidays for Scotland in 2028. The 2027 list for Scotland has the other year. Bank holidays that fall on a different date in 2028 than in 2027:
- New Year’s Day: Friday 1 January 2027 in 2027, Monday 3 January 2028 (substitute day) in 2028
- Good Friday: Friday 26 March 2027 in 2027, Friday 14 April 2028 in 2028
- Early May bank holiday: Monday 3 May 2027 in 2027, Monday 1 May 2028 in 2028
- Spring bank holiday: Monday 31 May 2027 in 2027, Monday 29 May 2028 in 2028
- Summer bank holiday: Monday 2 August 2027 in 2027, Monday 7 August 2028 in 2028
- Christmas Day: Monday 27 December 2027 (substitute day) in 2027, Monday 25 December 2028 in 2028
- Boxing Day: Tuesday 28 December 2027 (substitute day) in 2027, Tuesday 26 December 2028 in 2028
Pay and checking a date
“Your employer does not have to give you paid leave on bank or public holidays.”
GOV.UK's page and data give dates and substitute days only; they do not give branch opening hours. To check a date, use the bank holiday checker.
Frequently asked questions
What are the 2028 bank holidays in Scotland?
GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json) lists 9 bank holidays in Scotland for 2028: 3 January 2028 (New Year’s Day (substitute day)), 4 January 2028 (2nd January (substitute day)), 14 April 2028 (Good Friday), 1 May 2028 (Early May bank holiday), 29 May 2028 (Spring bank holiday), 7 August 2028 (Summer bank holiday), 30 November 2028 (St Andrew’s Day), 25 December 2028 (Christmas Day) and 26 December 2028 (Boxing Day).
Which 2028 bank holidays in Scotland are substitute days?
GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json) marks these 2028 entries for Scotland as substitute days: New Year’s Day on Monday 3 January 2028 and 2nd January on Tuesday 4 January 2028. GOV.UK’s bank holidays page says: “If a bank holiday is on a weekend, a ‘substitute’ weekday becomes a bank holiday, normally the following Monday.” For Scotland, GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json) lists New Year’s Day as a substitute day on Monday 3 January 2028 and 2nd January as a substitute day on Tuesday 4 January 2028, not the Monday; the Monday is already the New Year’s Day substitute (our reading of GOV.UK’s dates, not a GOV.UK statement).
Does Scotland have 2028 bank holidays that the other two GOV.UK lists do not?
Yes. In GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json) for 2028, 4 January 2028 (2nd January (substitute day)), 7 August 2028 (Summer bank holiday) and 30 November 2028 (St Andrew’s Day) appear for Scotland on dates where neither of the other two lists has a bank holiday.
Does an employer have to give paid leave on a bank holiday in Scotland?
GOV.UK’s bank holidays page says: “Your employer does not have to give you paid leave on bank or public holidays.” The page covers England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland together and does not give a different rule for Scotland.
How do the 2028 dates in Scotland compare with 2027?
GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json) lists 9 bank holidays for Scotland in 2027 and 9 in 2028. New Year’s Day moves from Friday 1 January 2027 to Monday 3 January 2028 (substitute day), Good Friday moves from Friday 26 March 2027 to Friday 14 April 2028, Early May bank holiday moves from Monday 3 May 2027 to Monday 1 May 2028, Spring bank holiday moves from Monday 31 May 2027 to Monday 29 May 2028, Summer bank holiday moves from Monday 2 August 2027 to Monday 7 August 2028, Christmas Day moves from Monday 27 December 2027 (substitute day) to Monday 25 December 2028 and Boxing Day moves from Tuesday 28 December 2027 (substitute day) to Tuesday 26 December 2028.
Where does the Scotland list come from?
The dates are copied from GOV.UK’s bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json), retrieved on 5 November 2026, for the Scotland division. GOV.UK is the official source and may add or change dates after that day.
More UK pages
Sources
- GOV.UK: UK bank holidays, retrieved 5 November 2026
- GOV.UK: bank holidays data (bank-holidays.json), retrieved 5 November 2026
Reviewed 5 November 2026 against the pages listed in Sources. FedRateCalc is not affiliated with GOV.UK, HMRC, the DWP, legislation.gov.uk or the UK Government; GOV.UK, HMRC, the DWP and legislation.gov.uk are the official sources, and any later change they publish overrides this site.