UK bank holidays 2027 for CHAPS, Bacs and Faster Payments
From the operators' own calendars.
8 weekday closures in 2027
- New Year's Day
- Good Friday
- Easter Monday
- Early May bank holiday
- Spring bank holiday
- Summer bank holiday
- Christmas Day (substitute day)25 December falls on a Saturday
- Boxing Day (substitute day)26 December falls on a Sunday
CHAPS is closed on bank holidays in England and Wales, and Bacs doesn't process on them, so a CHAPS or Bacs payment due on one of these days moves on the next working day.
What keeps running
- Faster Payments. Pay.UK says the Faster Payment System is available day and night, 365 days a year, so single immediate payments still go on bank holidays.
- Stablecoins. USDC and USDT move on their blockchains at any hour; a sterling payout still waits for the bank's rail.
Worth knowing
Scotland and Northern Ireland have bank holidays of their own: in 2027, 4 January and 2 August and 30 November (St Andrew's Day) in Scotland, and 17 March and 12 July in Northern Ireland. CHAPS follows the England and Wales calendar, but banks and businesses there may be closed.
Bacs works on a three-day processing cycle, and its processing calendar marks bank holidays as non-processing days, so a cycle that runs over a bank holiday ends a day later. Plan Christmas payroll around the 27 and 28 December substitute days, and check the latest submission dates in the Bacs calendar.
Paying across borders over a holiday? A SWIFT payment can pass through banks in several countries, each with its own calendar. See how to track a SWIFT payment and why international payments get returned.
Other calendars
Common questions
- Does CHAPS run on bank holidays?
- No. CHAPS is closed on bank holidays in England and Wales. On other working days it's usually open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. UK time.
- Do Faster Payments work on bank holidays?
- Yes. The Faster Payment System runs day and night, 365 days a year, so single immediate payments go on bank holidays, subject to your bank.
- When are the Christmas bank holidays in 2027?
- Monday 27 December and Tuesday 28 December are the substitute days for Christmas Day and Boxing Day, which fall on a Saturday and a Sunday.
Sources
- GOV.UK, UK bank holidays
- Bank of England, CHAPS
- Pay.UK, Faster Payment System
- Bacs, Getting started with Bacs Direct Credit (the processing cycle)
- Bacs, Processing calendar 2026 and 2027
Dates as published by each operator in October 2026. Banks set their own cut-off times, and can be closed on local holidays not listed here.
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