Scotland Bank Holidays 2024
There were 9 bank holidays in Scotland in 2024.
9 bank holidays in 2024
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | New Year's Day | |
| Tuesday | 2nd January | |
| Friday | Good Friday | |
| Monday | Early May bank holiday | |
| Monday | Spring bank holiday | |
| Monday | Summer bank holiday | |
| Monday | St Andrew's Day Substitute day | |
| Wednesday | Christmas Day | |
| Thursday | Boxing Day |
Planning leave for staff in Scotland?
OfficeSimplify adds Scotland's bank holidays, including 2 January and St Andrew's Day, 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 2024
England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland all had New Year's Day, Good Friday, the early May bank holiday, 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 Scotland and England sees their own days off.
Try it free for 30 daysWhy Scotland's bank holidays are different
Scotland's summer bank holiday is on the first Monday in August, not the last. That was the date the Bank Holidays Act 1871 set for the whole UK. England and Wales moved theirs to the end of August in 1971, and Scotland kept the original date. In 2024 it fell on Monday 5 August.
Scotland also has a bank holiday on 2 January. In 2024 it fell on Tuesday 2 January.
Easter Monday is not a bank holiday in Scotland, although some employers and councils give it as a local holiday.
St Andrew's Day on 30 November became a bank holiday under the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007. Employers don't have to give it as a day off, so decide whether you do and tell your staff. In 2024, 30 November was a Saturday, so the bank holiday moved to Monday 2 December.
Many Scottish towns and cities also have local holidays set by the council, such as spring and autumn holidays. These are separate from bank holidays and vary by area.
Free tools for employers
Bank holiday questions
When is Easter 2024 in Scotland?
Easter Sunday was 31 March 2024, which isn't a bank holiday. In Scotland, Good Friday (Friday 29 March 2024) was a bank holiday, but Easter Monday wasn't.
When are the May bank holidays in 2024 in Scotland?
The early May bank holiday was Monday 6 May 2024 and the spring bank holiday was Monday 27 May 2024, across the UK.
When is the August bank holiday 2024 in Scotland?
In Scotland the summer bank holiday was Monday 5 August 2024, the first Monday in August. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland the summer bank holiday was Monday 26 August 2024, the last Monday in August.
When is the 2nd January bank holiday in 2024?
The 2nd January bank holiday in Scotland was Tuesday 2 January 2024.
When is the St Andrew's Day bank holiday in 2024?
30 November 2024 was a Saturday, so the St Andrew's Day bank holiday in Scotland moved to Monday 2 December 2024.
When are the Christmas bank holidays in 2024 in Scotland?
The Christmas bank holidays were Christmas Day on Wednesday 25 December 2024 and Boxing Day on Thursday 26 December 2024, across the UK.
How are bank holidays in Scotland different from England and Wales?
Scotland had 9 bank holidays in 2024 and England and Wales had 8. Compared with England and Wales, Scotland added 2nd January and St Andrew's Day, had no Easter Monday and had its summer bank holiday on Monday 5 August 2024.
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 Scotland's bank holidays for your offices in Scotland, 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