Bank and public holiday dates
Bank holidays are holidays when banks and many other businesses are closed for the day. Public Holidays are holidays which have been observed through custom and practice, such as Christmas Day.
Find out about the bank and public holiday dates in Northern Ireland and employees’ rights to pay or time off on bank holidays.
Bank and public holiday dates
The expected dates of bank and public holidays in Northern Ireland for this year, and the next two years, are listed below.
*When the usual date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the ‘substitute day’ is normally the following Monday. For example in 2013, St Patrick’s Day is on Sunday 17 March, so the substitute bank holiday is Monday, 18 March.
| HOLIDAY | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | 1 January | 1 January | 1 January |
| St Patrick’s Day | 18 March* | 17 March | 17 March |
| Good Friday | 29 March | 18 April | 3 April |
| Easter Monday | 1 April | 21 April | 6 April |
| Early May Bank Holiday | 6 May | 5 May | 4 May |
| Spring Bank Holiday | 27 May | 26 May | 25 May |
| Battle of the Boyne – or Orangemen’s Day |
12 July | 14 July* | 13 July* |
| Summer Bank Holiday | 26 August | 25 August | 31 August |
| Christmas Day | 25 December | 25 December | 25 December |
| Boxing Day | 26 December | 26 December | 28 December* |
Special bank holidays
There are laws that allow the dates of bank holidays to be changed, or other holidays to be declared, for example to celebrate special occasions.
For example, there was a special bank holiday in 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. The 2012 late May bank holiday was moved to Monday 4 June 2012 and an additional Jubilee bank holiday was on Tuesday 5 June 2012.
Time off for employees
As an employer, you don’t have to provide paid leave on bank and public holidays, though many employers will provide this. Any right to time off or extra pay for working on a bank holiday depends on the terms of the contract of employment with your employees.
