I am sure many of us can’t wait for the long Easter weekend to get here. If it feels like it has come early this year, you are correct.

This year the bank holiday has come a lot sooner than previous years and will come even earlier next year.

So why does this matter for your payroll process? Businesses that operate a 31 March year-end for holidays will need to account for the additional Bank Holidays.

Where a year typically has eight Bank Holidays, the 2026/2027 year will have 10, due to Good Friday and Easter Monday being captured twice in the same financial year.

The Bank Holidays in England and Wales for 2026/27 are as follows:

• Good Friday: 3 April 2026
• Easter Monday: 6 April 2026
• Early May Bank Holiday: 4 May 2026
• Spring Bank Holiday: 25 May 2026
• Summer Bank Holiday: 31 August 2026
• Christmas Day: 25 December 2026
• Boxing Day: 26 December 2026
• New Year’s Day: 1 January 2027
• Good Friday: 26 March 2027
• Easter Monday: 29 March 2027

How will this affect employers?

The Working Time Regulations (WTR) 1998 enforces a statutory minimum of 5.6 weeks, or 28 days, of holiday entitlement per year, including Bank Holidays.

Workers are not automatically entitled to Bank Holidays and employers can decide how they treat them, especially when there are extra ones in the year.

If you are set to be impacted, review your contracts now to determine the most effective way to proceed in the coming year.

If you are unsure about how the Easter bank holidays affect your business, speak to our team.