UK key dates 2026
Fixed points in the UK year other than bank holidays: the clock changes, the start and end of the tax year with the Self Assessment deadlines, the English and Scottish quarter days, and Pancake Day and Mothering Sunday.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday 29 March | Sunday 25 October |
| 2027 | Sunday 28 March | Sunday 31 October |
| 2028 | Sunday 26 March | Sunday 29 October |
| 2029 | Sunday 25 March | Sunday 28 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 | Saturday | Self Assessment deadline online returns and payment for tax year 2024/25 |
| 5 April | Sunday | Tax year 2025/26 ends |
| 6 April | Monday | Tax year 2026/27 starts |
| 31 October | Saturday | Self Assessment paper returns due for tax year 2025/26 |
The UK tax year always runs from 6 April to 5 April, written 2026/27.
Quarter days and Scottish term days
England, Wales and Northern Ireland
| Date | Day of the week | What |
|---|---|---|
| 25 March | Wednesday | Lady Day |
| 24 June | Wednesday | Midsummer Day |
| 29 September | Tuesday | Michaelmas |
| 25 December | Friday | Christmas |
Scotland
| Date | Day of the week | What |
|---|---|---|
| 28 February | Saturday | Candlemas |
| 28 May | Thursday | Whitsunday |
| 28 August | Friday | Lammas |
| 28 November | Saturday | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 17 February | Tuesday | Pancake Day (Shrove Tuesday) |
| 15 March | Sunday | Mothering Sunday three weeks before Easter Sunday |
| 5 April | Sunday | Easter Sunday |
Both move with Easter. Mothering Sunday is the fourth Sunday of Lent, so it falls in March or early April and never on the same date as Mother's Day in the US, which is in May.