Quarter Days and Term Days are historic anchor points in the calendar that once governed when rents were paid, servants were hired, and courts sat. While many of these customs have softened, their legacy persists across commercial leasing cycles, university terms, and even the UK tax year.

Below, you’ll find clear definitions, the key dates to know (Lady Day, Midsummer, Michaelmas, and more), how they changed with calendar reform, and where they live on in law, education, and finance.

What are Quarter Days and Term Days?

Quarter Days are four dates spread through the year that traditionally marked the quarters of economic and domestic life. Many English and Irish leases required rent to be paid on these days. They also served as natural points for settling debts, changing servants or apprentices, and renewing agreements.

Term Days began as legal fixtures—defining when courts met—and later lent their names to academic terms. In Scotland, “term days” specifically referred to the legally recognized dates for entry to property, payment of rent, and service contracts.

The Classic English Quarter Days

In England and Wales, the Quarter Days most often cited in leases and historical records are:

• Lady Day – 25 March
• Midsummer Day – 24 June
• Michaelmas – 29 September
• Christmas – 25 December

These dates sit roughly 90 days apart and became deeply woven into the rhythms of tenancy, taxation, and hiring. Michaelmas and Lady Day, in particular, often marked significant transitions: new agricultural contracts, annual accounts, and shifts in service arrangements.

Scottish Term Days (and Why They Matter)

Scotland followed a distinct system that remains influential in property law and academic naming. The traditional Scottish term days—Candlemas, Whitsunday, Lammas, and Martinmas—once regulated when tenants took possession, when domestic servants changed households, and when fees were due.

• Candlemas – 2 February
• Whitsunday – 15 May (fixed in law; originally linked to the movable feast of Pentecost)
• Lammas – 1 August
• Martinmas – 11 November

By statute in the late 19th century, Scotland fixed these dates to avoid confusion from movable feasts. Whitsunday and Martinmas became especially important as changeover points for leases and employment, and they still appear in legal practice and academic calendars.

Term Days in Law: Hilary, Easter, Trinity, Michaelmas

In England and Wales, the legal profession historically divided the legal year into Hilary, Easter, Trinity, and Michaelmas terms, corresponding to periods when courts would sit. While modern courts largely operate year-round and many historic term restrictions have been abolished, the vocabulary and ceremonial framing persist:

• Michaelmas Term: autumn/winter
• Hilary Term: winter
• Easter Term: spring
• Trinity Term: late spring to early summer

The Inns of Court still recognize these terms ceremonially, and some procedural timetables and institutional calendars continue to echo them.

Universities: Why Students Still Say “Michaelmas”

Academic institutions adopted legal terms to structure teaching calendars, and many still use the names:

• Oxford: Michaelmas, Hilary, Trinity
• Cambridge: Michaelmas, Lent, Easter
• Trinity College Dublin: Michaelmas, Hilary, Trinity
• Scottish universities (notably St Andrews and others): Martinmas and Candlemas are common semester names

Even where semester dates have modernized, the labels endure as part of academic identity—convenient shorthand with centuries of continuity.

How Calendar Reform Shifted the Dates

Two calendar changes explain why some modern dates feel slightly “off” from their medieval counterparts:

1) The 1752 switch to the Gregorian calendar (England and Wales, and later Ireland)

In 1752, Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar, skipping 11 days to realign with the solar year. Before this, the civil year commonly started on Lady Day (25 March). To avoid losing tax revenue and upsetting annual accounting, the start of the fiscal year effectively shifted to 5 April—11 days after 25 March. It later nudged to 6 April in 1800 to accommodate a leap-year discrepancy between the old and new systems. That’s why the UK tax year still begins on 6 April today.

2) Fixing movable feasts (especially in Scotland)

Whitsunday originally followed the date of Pentecost, which shifts each year. To create legal certainty around leases and service contracts, Scottish law fixed Whitsunday (15 May) and the other term days to specific calendar dates. This reduced disputes and helped standardize economic life.

Where Quarter Days Still Matter

Commercial leases

In the UK, many commercial leases still specify rent due on the historic Quarter Days:

• 25 March (Lady Day)
• 24 June (Midsummer)
• 29 September (Michaelmas)
• 25 December (Christmas)

In practice, modern leasing can vary—monthly payments are increasingly common and some sectors use calendar quarters (Mar/Jun/Sep/Dec ends). Still, the traditional Quarter Days remain deeply familiar to property managers, solicitors, and finance teams, and they appear in standard lease templates and service charge cycles.

Public finance and the tax year

The 6 April start of the UK tax year is a direct descendant of Lady Day accounting. It is one of the clearest examples of a medieval Quarter Day continuing to define contemporary fiscal life.

Academic terms

Universities and schools preserve term names—and sometimes structures—derived from Quarter Days and legal terms. For example, a student might still say they’ll return for “Michaelmas” even if the weeks now start in late September or early October, reflecting modern timetabling around holidays and teaching needs.

Legal and ceremonial calendars

From the Inns of Court in London to convocations and graduations across the UK and Ireland, institutions frequently organize events and seasons using historic term names. The Michaelmas label in particular is notable: it marks autumn both in legal circles and at well-known universities.

Beyond Britain: European Counterparts

While terminology differs, many European regions once aligned rents, interest, and hiring with fixed saints’ days or seasonal markers:

• German-speaking regions: “Michaeli” (Michaelmas) was widely used as a rent or settlement day, along with other saints’ days historically known as “Zinstage” (interest days).
• Nordic countries: fixed “moving days” and seasonal rent or service changeovers emerged in the 18th–19th centuries, reflecting similar needs for predictable economic intervals.
• Ireland: “Gale days” often aligned with the English Quarter Days (Lady Day, Midsummer, Michaelmas, Christmas) for rent and tithe payments.

The common thread is practical: in agrarian and early urban economies, communities needed predictable points to settle accounts and transition labor or property occupancy.

Why These Dates Worked

Quarter Days and Term Days thrived because they solved recurring problems:

• Seasonality: Aligning rents and contracts with agricultural cycles made sense for livelihoods tied to harvests and fairs.
• Certainty: Fixed dates reduced disputes about when payments or notice periods were due.
• Administration: Authorities and institutions could organize courts, record-keeping, tithes, and taxes on shared, memorable dates.
• Community: Hiring fairs—often near Michaelmas or Martinmas—created public marketplaces for labor, promoting transparency and mobility.

Modern Shifts—and What Hasn’t Changed

What’s changed

• Monthly billing: Many residential and commercial arrangements now default to monthly cycles rather than quarter days.
• Calendar quarters: Financial reporting often uses 31 Mar, 30 Jun, 30 Sep, 31 Dec; these differ slightly from the historic Quarter Days.
• Flexible academic calendars: Universities tailor term lengths for pedagogy and logistics, even as names endure.
• Year-round courts: Legal business is much less constrained by historical “terms,” with sitting patterns managed administratively rather than by strict term rules.

What endures

• Leasing language: “Rent due on the Quarter Days” still appears in UK commercial leases and service charge schedules.
• UK tax year: 6 April remains a Lady Day legacy, cemented by 18th–19th century calendar adjustments.
• Institutional identity: Michaelmas, Hilary, Trinity, Martinmas, and Candlemas continue to define academic culture and ceremonial calendars.
• Legal heritage: The terminology of Hilary, Easter, Trinity, and Michaelmas persists in the profession, contributing to continuity and tradition.

Key Dates at a Glance

England and Wales (Quarter Days)

• 25 March – Lady Day
• 24 June – Midsummer Day
• 29 September – Michaelmas
• 25 December – Christmas

Scotland (Term Days, fixed by statute)

• 2 February – Candlemas
• 15 May – Whitsunday
• 1 August – Lammas
• 11 November – Martinmas

Legal and Academic Terms (names vary by institution)

• Michaelmas (autumn)
• Hilary or Lent (winter)
• Easter (spring)
• Trinity (late spring/summer)

Practical Tips if These Dates Affect You

• Check your lease: If it specifies Quarter Days for rent or service charges, set reminders for 25 Mar, 24 Jun, 29 Sep, and 25 Dec.
• Mind notice periods: Some Scottish tenancy and rural agreements still key notice to Whitsunday/Martinmas—confirm dates and statutory lead times.
• Plan around term names: University “Michaelmas” or “Hilary” dates differ between institutions; consult current academic calendars.
• Account for the tax year: For UK personal and business tax planning, 6 April is the pivot for allowances and filings.

Bottom Line

Quarter Days and Term Days may sound antiquarian, but they still structure how we live, learn, and litigate. Whether you’re paying rent on Michaelmas, starting classes in Hilary, or filing taxes after 6 April, you’re stepping to rhythms set centuries ago—carefully tuned over time but still unmistakably audible in today’s calendars.

FAQ

What are the four Quarter Days in England and Wales?

Lady Day (25 March), Midsummer Day (24 June), Michaelmas (29 September), and Christmas (25 December). They historically governed rent, debts, and hiring cycles.

Why does the UK tax year start on 6 April?

Because the fiscal year once began on Lady Day (25 March). After Britain adopted the Gregorian calendar in 1752 and skipped 11 days, the year-end shifted to 5 April. A later adjustment in 1800 moved it to 6 April, where it remains.

What’s the difference between Quarter Days and Term Days?

Quarter Days mark quarterly economic milestones (especially rents). Term Days originated as fixed legal sittings and, in Scotland, as legally recognized dates for property entry and payments. The terms also migrated into university calendars.

Do businesses still pay rent on Quarter Days?

Many UK commercial leases still specify Quarter Days, though monthly payments and calendar-quarter billing are increasingly common. Always check the lease terms.

Which academic terms use Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity?

Oxford uses Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity; Cambridge uses Michaelmas, Lent, and Easter; Trinity College Dublin uses Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity. Several Scottish universities use Martinmas and Candlemas.

What are Scotland’s fixed Term Days?

Candlemas (2 Feb), Whitsunday (15 May), Lammas (1 Aug), and Martinmas (11 Nov). These dates were fixed by statute to standardize leases and service contracts.

Are there European equivalents to Quarter Days?

Yes. Many regions used saints’ days or seasonal markers—like Michaelmas in German-speaking areas or fixed moving days in Nordic countries—to schedule rents, hiring, and legal obligations.