UK key dates 2023
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Sunday 26 March | Sunday 29 October |
| 2024 | Sunday 31 March | Sunday 27 October |
| 2025 | Sunday 30 March | Sunday 26 October |
| 2026 | 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 2021/22 |
| 5 April | Wednesday | Tax year 2022/23 ends |
| 6 April | Thursday | Tax year 2023/24 starts |
| 31 October | Tuesday | Self Assessment paper returns due for tax year 2022/23 |
The UK tax year always runs from 6 April to 5 April, written 2023/24.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 21 February | Tuesday | Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) |
| 19 March | Sunday | Mothering Sunday three weeks before Easter Sunday |
| 9 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.