UK bank holidays 2025: How to double your days off work
Savvy workers will already be trying to maximise their time off in 2025—and the best way to do it is by working around the bank holidays peppered throughout the year. You could double your time off using these alongside the normal annual leave allowance.
Taking advantage of every long weekend could grant you up to 58 work-free days in 2025. That's assuming you do not work on weekends.
In theory, this covers almost two months off work. But be quick with your requests, as your workmates might get the same idea and start booking these days off, too.
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The full list of 2025 bank holidays:
Wednesday, January 1: New Years Day
Friday, April 18: Good Friday
Monday, April 21: Easter Monday
Monday, May 5: Early May Bank Holiday
Monday, May 26: Spring Bank Holiday
Monday, August 26: Summer Bank Holiday
Thursday, December 25: Christmas Day
Friday, December 26: Boxing Day
January 2025
It might be late for these ones if you've already got your festive plans in place - but it won't hurt to remember this for next Christmas. Using two days of holiday, you can delay returning to work after the festive period for just a little bit longer - five days to be exact!
January 1: Bank Holiday
January 2 & 3: Annual Leave (2 days)
January 4 & 5: Weekend
April 2025
This month, the long Easter weekend grants most of us shorter working weeks on either side of the celebration that includes two bank holidays. However, savvy people who manage to get their holiday requests in early could get even longer off and take up to 16 days off by using just eight days of their holiday allowance.
April 12 & 13: Weekend
April 14 to & 17: Annual Leave (4 days)
April 18: Bank Holiday
April 19 & 20: Weekend
April 21: Bank Holiday
April 22 to & 25: Annual Leave (4 days)
April 26 & 27: Weekend
May 2025
May is another month with two bank holidays in one month, but they're at either end of the calendar. You could extend your time off using these bank holidays to drag these long weekends into full weeks for less holiday than usual - turning your eight days into another 16.
May 3 & 4: Weekend
May 5: Bank Holiday
May 6 to 9: Annual Leave (4 days)
May 10 & 11: Weekend
May 24 & 25: Weekend
May 26: Bank Holiday
May 27 to 30: Annual Leave (4 days)
May 31 & June 1: Weekend
August 2025
It's a while until the next batch of Bank Holidays, with the summer being rounded off with a cheeky long weekend. If you still have days to spare, you could turn four days into a nine-day break - perfect for a last-minute summer getaway.
August 23 & 24: Weekend
August 25: Bank Holiday
August 26 to 29: Annual Leave (4 days)
August 30 & 31: Weekend
December 2025
After the summer, it is a long slog through until December and Christmas before we're given another batch of Bank Holidays. Most people need to get their work requests in early if they want some time off over the festive period - but working smartly can ensure you make the most of it.
You could chop and change these if you're short on holidays or just want to give everyone at work a chance to have some time off with their families. At best, you could clock off on December 19 and look forward to 13 blissful days with no work whatsoever for the price of six days of annual leave.
December 20 & 21: Weekend
December 22 to 24: Annual Leave (3 days)
December 25: Bank Holiday
December 26: Bank Holiday
December 27 & 28: Weekend
December 29 to 31: Annual Leave (3 days)
January 1, 2026: Bank Holiday
