UK key dates 2016

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
2016	Sunday 27 March	Sunday 30 October
2017	Sunday 26 March	Sunday 29 October
2018	Sunday 25 March	Sunday 28 October
2019	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 2014/15
5 April	Tuesday	Tax year 2015/16 ends
6 April	Wednesday	Tax year 2016/17 starts
31 October	Monday	Self Assessment paper returns due for tax year 2015/16

The UK tax year always runs from 6 April to 5 April, written 2016/17.

Quarter days and Scottish term days

England, Wales and Northern Ireland

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

Scotland

Date	Day of the week	What
28 February	Sunday	Candlemas
28 May	Saturday	Whitsunday
28 August	Sunday	Lammas
28 November	Monday	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
9 February	Tuesday	Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday)
6 March	Sunday	Mothering Sunday three weeks before Easter Sunday
27 March	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.