Bank Holiday Planning for 2018

It may seem a bit early to be planning for 2018 however, with less than 8 weeks to the New Year (sorry!), it isn’t actually too far away.

For businesses who run their holiday year from 1^st April to 31^st March to fall in line with the tax year, the dates of the Bank Holidays over Easter may create a slight challenge as Easter straddles March and April.

In 2018, Good Friday will fall on the 30^th March, therefore businesses with a holiday year of 1^st April to 31^st March will receive 9 bank holidays in the 2017-18 year and only 7 for the 2018-19 year.

Employers who provide only the statutory minimum entitlement of 5.6 weeks holiday (28 days), need to ensure that employees still receive their legal entitlement. You may therefore have to think about allowing an extra day of holiday for the 2018-19 holiday year if you have a ’20 days plus 8 bank holidays’ clause in your contract.

A full list of the Bank Holidays is set out below for the United Kingdom and Ireland for 2018.

If you would like any advice on holiday management for your employees, or on other employment issue, please contact our HR Consultancy Team on 01302 341 344.

By Kris Kerins BSc (Hons) PGC (Tech Mgmt) – Risk Services Adviser