UK key dates 2017

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
2017	Sunday 26 March	Sunday 29 October
2018	Sunday 25 March	Sunday 28 October
2019	Sunday 31 March	Sunday 27 October
2020	Sunday 29 March	Sunday 25 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	Tuesday	Self Assessment deadline online returns and payment for tax year 2015/16
5 April	Wednesday	Tax year 2016/17 ends
6 April	Thursday	Tax year 2017/18 starts
31 October	Tuesday	Self Assessment paper returns due for tax year 2016/17

The UK tax year always runs from 6 April to 5 April, written 2017/18.

Quarter days and Scottish term days

England, Wales and Northern Ireland

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

Scotland

Date	Day of the week	What
28 February	Tuesday	Candlemas
28 May	Sunday	Whitsunday
28 August	Monday	Lammas
28 November	Tuesday	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
28 February	Tuesday	Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday)
26 March	Sunday	Mothering Sunday three weeks before Easter Sunday
16 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.