Northern Ireland Bank Holidays 2020
There were 10 bank holidays in Northern Ireland in 2020.
10 bank holidays in 2020
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday | New Year's Day | |
| Tuesday | St Patrick's Day | |
| Friday | Good Friday | |
| Monday | Easter Monday | |
| Friday | Early May bank holiday (VE day) | |
| Monday | Spring bank holiday | |
| Monday | Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) Substitute day | |
| Monday | Summer bank holiday | |
| Friday | Christmas Day | |
| Monday | Boxing Day Substitute day |
Planning leave for staff in Northern Ireland?
OfficeSimplify adds Northern Ireland's bank holidays, including St Patrick's Day and the Twelfth, to your team's calendar. When someone books leave, it counts the right working days, taking bank holidays into account the way you've set them up.
How the UK nations differ in 2020
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all had New Year's Day, Good Friday, the early May bank holiday (VE day), the spring bank holiday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. The table shows where they differ.
| Holiday | England & Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2nd January | – | – | |
| St Patrick's Day | – | – | |
| Easter Monday | – | ||
| Battle of the Boyne | – | – | |
| Summer bank holiday | |||
| St Andrew's Day | – | – | |
| Total | 8 | 9 | 10 |
Staff in more than one UK nation? OfficeSimplify gives each office the right bank holidays for where it is, so everyone in a team split between Northern Ireland and England sees their own days off.
Try it free for 30 daysSt Patrick's Day and the Twelfth
Northern Ireland has two bank holidays the rest of the UK doesn't: St Patrick's Day on 17 March and the Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) on 12 July.
St Patrick's Day is listed in the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971. In 2020 it fell on Tuesday 17 March.
The Battle of the Boyne holiday is declared each year by royal proclamation. When 12 July falls on a weekend it moves to the following Monday. In 2020, 12 July was a Sunday, so the bank holiday moved to Monday 13 July.
Otherwise Northern Ireland follows England and Wales, including Easter Monday and the late-August summer bank holiday.
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Bank holiday questions
When is Easter 2020 in Northern Ireland?
Easter Sunday was 12 April 2020. Easter Sunday isn't a bank holiday, but Good Friday (Friday 10 April 2020) and Easter Monday (Monday 13 April 2020) were.
When are the May bank holidays in 2020 in Northern Ireland?
The early May bank holiday (VE day) was Friday 8 May 2020 and the spring bank holiday was Monday 25 May 2020, across the UK.
When is the August bank holiday 2020 in Northern Ireland?
In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the summer bank holiday was Monday 31 August 2020, the last Monday in August. In Scotland the summer bank holiday was Monday 3 August 2020, the first Monday in August.
When is the St Patrick's Day bank holiday in 2020?
The St Patrick's Day bank holiday in Northern Ireland was Tuesday 17 March 2020.
When is the Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) bank holiday in 2020?
12 July 2020 was a Sunday, so the Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day) bank holiday in Northern Ireland moved to Monday 13 July 2020.
When are the Christmas bank holidays in 2020 in Northern Ireland?
Boxing Day fell on a Saturday, so the Christmas bank holidays were Christmas Day on Friday 25 December 2020 and Monday 28 December 2020, across the UK.
How are bank holidays in Northern Ireland different from England and Wales?
Northern Ireland had 10 bank holidays in 2020 and England and Wales had 8. Compared with England and Wales, Northern Ireland added St Patrick's Day and the Battle of the Boyne (Orangemen's Day).
What are UK bank holidays?
Bank holidays are public holidays in the UK, when banks and many workplaces close. In England and Wales there are usually 8 bank holidays a year, in Scotland 9 and in Northern Ireland 10. The government sometimes adds one for a special event, such as a coronation or a jubilee.
Do employers have to give bank holidays off?
No. In the UK there's no legal right to time off on bank holidays. Full-time staff are entitled to 28 days' paid annual leave, and employers can count bank holidays as part of it or give them on top. What matters is that everyone gets their full 28 days, or the pro-rata equivalent for part-time staff.
How are bank holidays calculated for part-time staff?
Part-time staff have no legal right to bank holidays off, and neither do full-time staff. But the Part-Time Workers Regulations say part-time staff mustn't be treated less favourably. So if full-time staff get bank holidays on top of their annual leave, part-time staff should get a pro-rata share. Someone working 3 days a week would get 3/5 of them: 4.8 days out of 8 in England and Wales. That applies whether or not they usually work on the days the bank holidays fall.
Do bank holidays count towards annual leave?
It depends on the employment contract. Many employers give bank holidays on top of annual leave, and some include them in it. A contract that says "20 days plus bank holidays" gives them on top. One that says "28 days including bank holidays" counts them as part of the 28.
Do shift workers get extra pay for working a bank holiday?
Not by law in the UK. Staff who work a bank holiday get their normal pay unless their contract says otherwise. Many employers pay time-and-a-half or give a day off in lieu.
Works in Slack and Microsoft Teams
Handle bank holidays and leave where your team already works
- Loads Northern Ireland's bank holidays for your offices there, and the right ones for every other office
- Counts the right working days for each person, taking bank holidays into account the way you've set them up
- Shows who's already off, so you can spot clashes before approving leave
- Staff request leave and managers approve it in Microsoft Teams or Slack, as well as on the web