In a standard year, there are eight Bank Holidays in England and Wales: New Year’s Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May Bank Holiday, Spring Bank Holiday, Summer Bank Holiday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

However, this year on Friday 3rd June there will be an extra Bank Holiday to mark The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee - and the late May Bank Holiday has been moved from 30th May to 2nd June to make a four day weekend. Many employees will therefore be asking whether they are entitled to this extra days’ holiday.

This will actually depend on the wording of their employment contract, as employees do not have an automatic right to paid time off on a Bank Holiday.

If their employment contract states that the employee's annual holiday entitlement is a certain number of days plus any Bank Holidays, then they will be eligible for the additional day off.

However, if their employment contract states that an employee’s annual holiday entitlement includes eight Bank Holidays – then lists them – or states they are entitled to usual or standard Bank Holidays, the employee will not be eligible for an additional day of leave.

Likewise, if a contract is for a certain number of days leave with no mention of Bank Holidays, then there is no contractual entitlement to paid time off.

Where employees do not have a contractual right to paid time off on the extra Bank Holiday, HR experts believe that employers should consider allowing this day off anyway - or providing time off in lieu - as a gesture of goodwill to enhance employee relations. Nonetheless if the day off is not to be given, then it would be a good idea to forewarn employees as early as possible of this.