UK Three-Day Week 2027: Dates and How to Get 10 Days Off
Christmas 2027 falls on a weekend, so the bank holidays move to the following Monday and Tuesday. That leaves just three working days between Christmas and New Year, and a chance to take 10 days off for 3 days of leave. Here are the dates for every part of the UK, and why there is one this Christmas too.
The UK three-day week 2027 is the week of 27 to 31 December 2027. Christmas Day and Boxing Day fall on a Saturday and Sunday, so the bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December, leaving only Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 and Friday 31 as working days. Book those three days off and you get 10 days in a row, from Saturday 25 December 2027 to Monday 3 January 2028.
Key points
- Two substitute bank holidays on 27 and 28 December 2027 apply across the whole UK.
- New Year's Day 2028 is a Saturday, so Monday 3 January 2028 is a bank holiday too.
- Scotland gets 11 days off for 3 days of leave, and a second short week in January.
- There is also a three-day week this Christmas, from 29 to 31 December 2026.
- It is a calendar quirk, not a new law, and it last happened in 2021.
What is the UK three-day week in 2027?
It is the name given to the last week of 2027, when most people who work Monday to Friday will only work three days. There is no new rule behind it. It comes from the way UK bank holidays work.
Christmas Day and Boxing Day are always bank holidays. When either falls on a weekend, the next weekday becomes a substitute day. In 2027, 25 December is a Saturday and 26 December is a Sunday, so the bank holidays are moved to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. The official dates are published by the government on GOV.UK, and both substitute days are already confirmed.
New Year's Day 2028 is also a Saturday, so it moves to Monday 3 January 2028. That puts three bank holidays within five weekdays, which is why the three days in between are so valuable.
Three-day week 2027 dates
Here is every day from Christmas Eve 2027 to the first working week of 2028, and whether it is a bank holiday in each part of the UK:
| Date | What it is | England and Wales | Scotland | N Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 24 Dec 2027 | Christmas Eve | Working day | Working day | Working day |
| Sat 25 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day | Weekend | Weekend | Weekend |
| Sun 26 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day | Weekend | Weekend | Weekend |
| Mon 27 Dec 2027 | Christmas Day substitute | Bank holiday | Bank holiday | Bank holiday |
| Tue 28 Dec 2027 | Boxing Day substitute | Bank holiday | Bank holiday | Bank holiday |
| Wed 29 to Fri 31 Dec 2027 | The three working days | Working days | Working days | Working days |
| Sat 1 Jan 2028 | New Year's Day | Weekend | Weekend | Weekend |
| Mon 3 Jan 2028 | New Year's Day substitute | Bank holiday | Bank holiday | Bank holiday |
| Tue 4 Jan 2028 | 2nd January substitute | Working day | Bank holiday | Working day |
For the full list of 2027 dates, including Easter and the May and August bank holidays, see UK bank holidays 2027. To check the next bank holiday where you are, use our UK bank holidays countdown.
How to turn 3 days of leave into 10 days off
Booking the three working days between the bank holidays gives the best return of any leave in 2027:
| Where you work | Book off | Leave used | Days off in a row |
|---|---|---|---|
| England, Wales or NI | 29, 30 and 31 December | 3 days | 10 (25 Dec to 3 Jan) |
| England, Wales or NI | 24 and 29 to 31 December | 4 days | 11 (24 Dec to 3 Jan) |
| Scotland | 29, 30 and 31 December | 3 days | 11 (25 Dec to 4 Jan) |
| Scotland | 24 and 29 to 31 December | 4 days | 12 (24 Dec to 4 Jan) |
Because so many people will want the same three days, ask early. Many employers approve leave on a first-come, first-served basis, and some will cap how many people in a team can be off at once. If you are not sure how much leave you have left, the Holiday Entitlement Calculator and Holiday Accrual Calculator will tell you.
There is a three-day week this Christmas too
You do not have to wait for 2027. Christmas Day 2026 is a Friday and Boxing Day is a Saturday, so Monday 28 December 2026 is the substitute bank holiday. New Year's Day 2027 falls on Friday 1 January. That leaves the same pattern: only Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 December 2026 are working days. See every date, including Christmas Eve and New Year, in our guide to the Christmas bank holidays 2026.
Book those three days off and you are off from Friday 25 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027, which is 10 days. In Scotland it runs to Monday 4 January 2027, the substitute day for 2 January, so 11 days. If your holiday year runs from January to December, check you have three days left for it now, as untaken leave often cannot be carried over.
Has the UK had a three-day week before?
This exact pattern is not new. 2021 had the same calendar as 2027, and Christmas 2021 worked the same way: bank holidays on Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December 2021, three working days, and New Year's Day moved to Monday 3 January 2022. On current rules, it will happen again in 2032, when Christmas Day is next on a Saturday.
Not the 1974 Three-Day Week
The phrase is best known from the 1974 Three-Day Week. From 1 January to 7 March 1974, the government limited most businesses to three days of electricity a week to save coal during industrial action by miners. The 2027 three-day week has nothing in common with it apart from the name. It lasts one week, nobody is told to stop work, and it is simply where the bank holidays fall.
Not a four-day week policy either
The three-day week is also separate from four-day working week trials. Your contract, hours and pay do not change because of it. The only difference is two bank holidays in the same week.
Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland has the same substitute days on 27 and 28 December 2027, plus an extra bank holiday on Tuesday 4 January 2028 for 2 January. So Scotland gets a second short week straight after the first: Monday 3 and Tuesday 4 January 2028 are both bank holidays, leaving three working days, Wednesday 5 to Friday 7 January. Northern Ireland follows the England and Wales dates over Christmas and New Year.
What the three-day week means for your pay and holiday
Bank holidays are not an extra legal entitlement in the UK. Almost every worker gets 5.6 weeks of paid holiday a year, 28 days for a five-day week, and employers can include bank holidays in that. How the three-day week affects you depends on your contract:
- If bank holidays are included in your leave, the two Christmas bank holidays come out of your 28 days, and you are paid as normal for them. Read Does 28 days holiday include bank holidays? for how this works.
- If you work on a bank holiday, there is no legal right to extra pay or a day off in lieu. Time and a half or double time only applies if your contract or company policy says so.
- If you work part time, whether you gain depends on your days. Someone who works Mondays and Tuesdays gets both bank holidays; someone who works Wednesday to Friday gets neither. Fair employers pro-rate bank holidays so this evens out. The Part-Time Holiday Calculator shows your share.
- If you are paid monthly, your salary for December is the same whatever the number of working days. If you are paid by the hour, fewer working days can mean a smaller pay packet unless the bank holidays are paid.
- If your payday falls on a bank holiday, most employers pay on the last working day before it. For 27 or 28 December 2027 that is usually Friday 24 December.
To check what a day of leave is worth to you, use the Holiday Pay Calculator.
For employers: planning the 2027 three-day week
Expect more leave requests than usual for 29 to 31 December 2027, and plan early:
- Set your approach now. Publish a clear rule, such as first come, first served or a rota, well before staff start booking.
- A Christmas shutdown is an option. Under the Working Time Regulations you can require staff to take holiday on particular days, as long as you give notice of at least twice the length of the leave. For three days, that is at least six days' notice, though most employers give far more.
- Check payroll dates. Two bank holidays in December can bring payroll deadlines forward, especially with Christmas Eve on a Friday.
- Be consistent with part-time staff. Treating bank holidays differently for part-time workers can breach the rules on less favourable treatment.
Working days in December 2027 and January 2028
For a Monday to Friday worker, the Christmas bank holidays take two working days out of December and one or two out of January:
| Month | Weekdays | England and Wales | Scotland | N Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 2027 | 23 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| January 2028 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 20 |
For any other period, use the Working Days Calculator. December 2026 and January 2027 have exactly the same number of working days, because the two Christmases follow the same pattern.
Sources
- GOV.UK, UK bank holidays for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, 2026 to 2028
- GOV.UK, Holiday entitlement: bank and public holidays
- The Working Time Regulations 1998, regulation 15 (dates when leave is taken)
- The National Archives, records of the 1974 Three-Day Week
Frequently asked questions
The UK three-day week in 2027, and this Christmas.
What is the UK three-day week in 2027?
Christmas Day and Boxing Day 2027 fall on a Saturday and Sunday, so the bank holidays move to Monday 27 and Tuesday 28 December. That leaves only three working days that week, Wednesday 29 to Friday 31 December. It is a quirk of the calendar, not a change in the law or in working hours.
Is 28 December 2027 a bank holiday?
Yes. Tuesday 28 December 2027 is the substitute bank holiday for Boxing Day, and Monday 27 December 2027 is the substitute for Christmas Day. Both apply in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
How do I get 10 days off at Christmas 2027?
Book Wednesday 29, Thursday 30 and Friday 31 December 2027 as annual leave. With the weekend, the two Christmas bank holidays and the New Year's Day substitute on Monday 3 January 2028, you are off for 10 days in a row, from 25 December to 3 January. In Scotland it is 11 days, because 4 January 2028 is also a bank holiday.
Is there a three-day week in 2026?
Yes. Boxing Day 2026 is a Saturday, so Monday 28 December 2026 is a bank holiday, and New Year's Day 2027 is on Friday 1 January. That leaves three working days, 29 to 31 December 2026. Booking them off gives 10 days in a row from Friday 25 December 2026 to Sunday 3 January 2027.
Is Christmas Eve 2027 a bank holiday?
No. Christmas Eve, Friday 24 December 2027, is a normal working day unless your employer gives it off. Adding it to the three days between Christmas and New Year turns 4 days of leave into 11 days off, from 24 December 2027 to 3 January 2028.
Is the 2027 three-day week the same as the 1974 three-day week?
No. The 1974 Three-Day Week was an emergency measure from 1 January to 7 March 1974, when the government limited businesses to three days of electricity a week during industrial action by coal miners. The 2027 three-day week is only one week long and happens because of where the Christmas bank holidays fall.
Do I get paid for the Christmas bank holidays?
There is no legal right to paid time off on a bank holiday, or to extra pay for working one. Your contract decides both. Most employers count bank holidays as part of the 5.6 weeks of paid holiday every worker gets, so if you are given 27 and 28 December off, you are normally paid as usual.