Knowing how many working days there are in a month is pretty useful. It gives you a good idea of how your time will be divided when planning your work schedule or mapping out projects and deadlines. This knowledge can be handy for employers, employees, and freelancers to achieve objectives effectively.
Below, we’ll give you the average amounts, and show you how to calculate exact figures for the year or month you’re considering.
What is considered a working day?
A working day typically refers to the weekdays from Monday to Friday, when businesses traditionally operate. This excludes weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and public holidays. A calendar day, however, is literally any day of the week; Monday to Sunday.
How the number of working days in a month varies
The number of working days in each month can vary quite a bit because of public holidays and personal leave, but on average, you can expect approximately 20 to 22 working days every month. This assumes a traditional Monday to Friday workweek.
Calculating the exact number of working days in a particular month requires considering factors such as public holidays, which can differ depending on your location within the UK. For example, the average working days in a month in England may differ from the average working days in a month in Scotland.
To determine the baseline number of working days in a month, start with the standard five-day work week, which excludes weekends.
- Mondays to Fridays: 5 days per week
- Weeks per month: Typically 4 to 5 weeks
- Baseline working days per month: 20 to 23 days
Adjust for public and bank holidays
When looking at specific months, you’ll need to adjust that figure to account for public and bank holidays, which vary by country. The entire UK shares specific holidays like New Year's Day and Christmas Day, but the constituent nations have different public holidays too, such as St. Patrick's Day in Northern Ireland.
The positioning of these holidays changes each year. For instance, if Christmas Day falls on a weekday, that would reduce the number of business days for that month. Keep an eye on the yearly calendar for the exact dates of these holidays, as they’ll impact the total number of working days in various months.
Legal and company-specific considerations
To determine a specific person’s working days in a month, there are a few more bits to look at, such as how many days they’re scheduled for in total, and how many days’ annual leave they want to take.
Working Time Regulations stipulate a maximum of 48 working hours per week. However, there's no specific limit on the number of working days in a month, as the number of hours in a working day can vary (you could technically work every day in a month if it was only 1.5 hours a day, but that would be a very strange thing to do).
Company policy comes into play here as well. Some companies offer more holidays than the statutory minimum, and full-time workers will have different work schedules compared to part-time colleagues.
Furthermore, flexible working hours can affect the number of working days in a month, particularly for those on zero-hours contracts, seasonal workers, or anyone else who doesn’t work a 40-hour work week.
Manual calculations
To manually calculate working days, start with the total number of days in the month and then subtract any non-working days. In a standard calendar year, it’s fairly simple to work out. Here's a quick breakdown:
- Start date to end date: Note the calendar date when the month starts and ends.
- Weekends: Deduct the weekend days which usually total 8 in a full four-week month.
- Public holidays: Subtract any public holidays.
- Leap year: Add an extra day in February if it's a leap year.
This will give you the exact number of working days in that particular month.
You can also use spreadsheet software like Excel to calculate working days using the ‘NETWORKDAYS’ function. However, in most cases, referring to a calendar and doing some basic maths is a quicker way to figure it out.
Working days and leave management
Understanding the number of working days in a month is crucial for both employees and employers when it comes to leave management. For employees, it helps them plan their holidays effectively, ensuring they have enough leave days to cover their desired time off. By knowing the exact number of working days in a month, employees can accurately calculate how many leave days they need to request for a specific period.
For employers, understanding working days is vital for managing staffing levels and ensuring business continuity. When approving leave requests, employers need to consider the number of working days in a month to ensure adequate staffing levels are maintained. This prevents disruptions to workflow and ensures projects stay on track.
Do you need a tool to simplify leave management and track working days effortlessly? Timetastic can help! Our user-friendly absence management solution streamlines the process for both employees and employers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Calculating the number of working days in a month is important for payroll, staff scheduling, and monitoring a healthy work-life balance. Here are some FAQs to help shed some light on things.
What's the average number of working days in a given month?
A month typically has around 20 to 23 working days, depending on the number of weekdays and the occurrence of public holidays. To count the average working days in a month, remember that most months have more working days than weekends.
How many working hours are there in a month?
If you're curious about the number of working hours you’d get, a typical full-time work schedule involves around 160 to 176 hours per month, depending on the exact number of working days.
Just multiply the number of working days by 8 (or 7.5, or however long your work day is) and you’ll get the exact number of hours.
Are Saturdays included in the count of working days in a month?
Saturdays are usually considered non-working days unless your job involves weekend shifts or is dictated by sector-specific practices.
How do the working days in a month vary each year?
The number of working days varies due to leap years and the shifting dates of public holidays. Each year, you'll need to look at a calendar to determine the specific number of working days.
Can you tell me the number of working days in each month for the current year?
The figure for each month can be found using a working days calculator online or simply by referencing a business calendar, which typically marks out all public holidays and weekends.
Here's a simple list of working days for each month in 2024 in England. It accounts for public holidays, along with the day of the week they fall on, and notes additional dates in Ni and Scotland:
- January: 22 working days (New Year's Day (Monday))
- February: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- March: 21 working days (Good Friday (Friday), but NI has St Patrick’s Day on the 17th which means Monday 18th is a substitute bank holiday)
- April: 21 working days (Easter Monday (Monday))
- May: 21 working days (Early May Bank Holiday (Monday), Spring Bank Holiday (Monday))
- June: 20 working days (No public holidays)
- July: 23 working days (No public holidays apart from in NI which has the 12th)
- August: 21 working days (Summer Bank Holiday (Monday), and Scotland has an extra Bank Holiday on the 5th)
- September: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- October: 23 working days (No public holidays)
- November: 21 working days (No public holidays)
- December: 20 working days (Christmas Day (Wednesday), Boxing Day (Thursday))
In England, 2024 has 254 total working days because it’s a leap year. In 2025, there will be 253.