NHS bank holiday pay: rates, time off in lieu and part-time rules

NHS staff get 8 general public holidays on top of their annual leave. If you work on one, you are paid the Sunday and public holiday unsocial hours enhancement for your band, and you are also entitled to time off in lieu (TOIL) at plain time. Overtime worked on a general public holiday is paid at double time.

The enhancement rates in England

Under Section 2 of the handbook, all hours on Sundays and public holidays (midnight to midnight) are paid at basic pay plus a percentage that depends on your band. Northern Ireland and Wales use the same figures. Scotland is a little different.

Band	England, NI and Wales	Scotland
1	plus 94%	double time (about 100%)
2	plus 83%	plus 88%
3	plus 69%	plus 74%
4 to 9	plus 60%	plus 60%

The Scottish band 1 figure comes from a table that is hard to read in the published text, so check it with your employer. The enhancement is worked out on basic salary, including any long-term recruitment and retention premium. Only one rate of unsocial hours payment applies to any hour worked. The full rules are in our guide to NHS unsocial hours pay.

Overtime on a public holiday

Overtime means hours above 37.5 a week, open to bands 1 to 7. It is normally time and a half, but work on a general public holiday is paid at double time. Overtime is calculated separately from unsocial hours payments, so the two are not stacked on the same hour. Our NHS overtime guide covers the rules.

Time off in lieu

Paragraph 13.4 says staff required to work or be on call on a general public holiday are entitled to equivalent time off in lieu at plain time rates, in addition to the appropriate payment for the duties done. NHS Employers published guidance in August 2025 that sets out how this works. In summary:

• You are paid the unsocial hours rate for that day, and TOIL at plain time where public holidays are deducted from your entitlement.
• TOIL taken later does not attract unsocial hours payments.
• Where public holidays are consolidated into annual leave, there is no TOIL for working an allocated public holiday.

The 2021 handbook FAQ also sets a 60 hour threshold (8 holidays of 7.5 hours). Staff required to work more than 60 hours on general public holidays in their leave year receive TOIL at plain time for all hours worked, plus the appropriate payment. The threshold is pro rata for part-time staff. Volunteers get TOIL up to 60 hours and payment only above that. NHS Employers repeats the 60 hour point in its 2025 guidance, but the FAQ itself comes from the 2021 copy, so ask your employer for the current wording.

A hypothetical example

Say a band 5 nurse working full time has 8 public holidays built into their entitlement and is rostered on a 7.5 hour shift on one of them. They receive the plus 60% enhancement for those hours, and they are entitled to 7.5 hours of TOIL at plain time, taken on another day. That TOIL day does not carry another enhancement.

Part-time staff

Paragraphs 13.6 and 13.7 say part-time workers get paid public holidays no less than pro rata, rounded up to the nearest half day, and added to annual leave. Where a public holiday falls on a day you would normally work, you take it as annual leave. Our guides to part-time holiday entitlement and holiday entitlement show the general calculation, and bank holidays at work covers the wider legal position.

For standard shifts other than 7.5 hours excluding meal breaks, paragraph 13.5 says entitlements are calculated hourly.

Consolidation, Scotland and Northern Ireland

Paragraph 13.2 lets local arrangements consolidate some or all public holidays into annual leave. If yours does, you will see a bigger leave total and no separate bank holiday days. The handbook says the entitlements include the two extra-statutory days of the past, so local arrangements to add days for those no longer apply.

Scotland includes the two additional days in its entitlement. Northern Ireland has ten general public holidays, not eight. Wales adds one day to leave on appointment from the 2021/22 leave year. Where Easter falls in March, there may be two Easter holidays in one twelve-month period, and local partners decide how to handle it.

What to check with your employer

Figures come from handbook version 63, the 2021 handbook copy where stated, and NHS Employers’ August 2025 guidance. Your employer or union rep confirms local arrangements. Ask:

• Are public holidays deducted from my leave, or consolidated into it?
• How is my 60 hour threshold worked out if I work part time?
• How long do I have to take TOIL, and what happens if the service cannot release me?
• How do I know which dates are my 8 holidays this year?

Payroll can check your payslip, and a union rep or ACAS can help if rates look wrong. For the December period see NHS Christmas Day, Boxing Day and Easter pay.