UK key dates 2010

The dates that run the British year besides the bank holidays: when the clocks change, when the tax year turns over, the old quarter days and the church dates people still plan around.

The UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) now. The clocks go forward 1 hour at 1am on Sunday 28 March 2027.

When the clocks change

Year	Clocks go forward	Clocks go back
2010	Sunday 28 March	Sunday 31 October
2011	Sunday 27 March	Sunday 30 October
2012	Sunday 25 March	Sunday 28 October
2013	Sunday 31 March	Sunday 27 October

Forward 1 hour at 1am on the last Sunday in March (start of BST); back 1 hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October (back to GMT).

Tax year

Date	Day of the week	What
31 January	Sunday	Self Assessment deadline online returns and payment for tax year 2008/09
5 April	Monday	Tax year 2009/10 ends
6 April	Tuesday	Tax year 2010/11 starts
31 October	Sunday	Self Assessment paper returns due for tax year 2009/10

The UK tax year always runs from 6 April to 5 April, written 2010/11.

Quarter days and Scottish term days

England, Wales and Northern Ireland

Date	Day of the week	What
25 March	Thursday	Lady Day
24 June	Thursday	Midsummer Day
29 September	Wednesday	Michaelmas
25 December	Saturday	Christmas

Scotland

Date	Day of the week	What
28 February	Sunday	Candlemas
28 May	Friday	Whitsunday
28 August	Saturday	Lammas
28 November	Sunday	Martinmas

Some leases and rents still fall due on these days. Since the Term and Quarter Days (Scotland) Act 1990, the Scottish term days are always the 28th.

Pancake Day and Mothering Sunday

Date	Day of the week	What
16 February	Tuesday	Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday)
14 March	Sunday	Mothering Sunday three weeks before Easter Sunday
4 April	Sunday	Easter Sunday

Both move with Easter. Mothering Sunday is the UK Mother's Day, so it is not the same date as Mother's Day in the US.