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Excel Functions to Count the Number of Days Between Two Dates

Learn more about these important planning tools

By Ted French Ted French Writer Former Lifewire writer Ted French is a Microsoft Certified Professional who teaches and writes about spreadsheets and spreadsheet programs. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on March 5, 2020 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email MS Office Excel Word Powerpoint Outlook Microsoft Excel features many functions to help users count the number of business days between two dates or find the start and end dates of a project given a set number of business days. These functions are handy for planning and when writing proposals to determine the timeframe of a project. Here's a quick look at these critical Excel date functions along with where to find more in-depth information. These functions are available in Excel versions 2007 and later, unless specified, as well as Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Excel 2016 for Mac, and Excel for Mac 2011.

Excel NETWORKDAYS Function

Use the NETWORKDAYS function to calculate the number of business days between the start date and end date of a project. It excludes weekends and holidays for additional accuracy. A potential use for NETWORKDAYS is to calculate employee benefits that accumulate based on the number of days worked during a specific timeframe. Read Our Tutorial on How to Use the NETWORKDAYS Function

Excel NETWORKDAYS INTL Function

The NETWORKDAYS.INTL function is similar to the NETWORKDAYS function, except that you use the NETWORKDAYS.INTL function for workplaces where the weekend days don't necessarily fall on Saturdays and Sundays. Single-day weekends are accommodated, as well. This function first became available in Excel 2010. Read Our Article About the NETWORKDAYS.INTL Function

Excel DATEDIF Function

The DATEDIF function calculates the number of days, months, or years between two dates. It returns the difference between two date values, based on the interval specified. Read Our Tutorial on How to Use the DATEDIF Function

Excel WORKDAY Function

Use the WORKDAY function to calculate the end date or start date of a project for a given number of business days. WORKDAY can exclude weekends or holidays when you calculate invoice due dates, expected delivery times, or the number of days of work performed. Read Our Tutorial on the WORKDAY Function

Excel WORKDAY INTL Function

Similar to Excel's WORKDAY function above, use the WORKDAY.INTL function when an organization's weekend days don't fall on Saturdays and Sundays. Single-day weekends are accommodated, as well. This function first became available in Excel 2010. Read More About the WORKDAY.INTL Function

Excel EDATE Function

Use the EDATE function to calculate a due date of a project or investment that falls on the same day of the month as the date it was issued. Read Our Tutorial on the EDATE Function

Excel EOMONTH Function

Use the EOMONTH function, short for End of Month function, to calculate a due date of a project or investment that falls at the end of the month. EOMONTH can also be used to calculate maturity dates that fall on the last day of the month. Read Our Tutorial on the EOMONTH Function

Excel DAYS360 Function

Use the Excel DAYS360 Function in accounting systems to calculate the number of days between two dates based on a 360-day year. Use this function to help compute payments if your accounting system is based on 12 30-day months. Read Our Tutorial on the DAYS360 Function

Convert Dates With DATEVALUE

Use the DATEVALUE function to convert a date that has been stored as text into a value that Excel recognizes. This might be done if data in a worksheet is going to be filtered or sorted by date values, or if the dates will be used in calculations, such as when using the NETWORKDAYS or WORKDAY functions. Read More on the DATEVALUE Function Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire Use Excel's EOMONTH Function to Add or Subtract Months How to Use the Excel DATE Function How to Subtract Dates in Excel Count Working Days Between Dates in Google Sheets How to Use the DAY function in Excel How to Use the COUNTIF Function in Excel How to Use Functions in Google Sheets Use the Excel RIGHT Function to Extract Characters Count Days, Months, Years With DATEDIF Function in Excel How to Use the Excel MID Function How to Use the Excel DATEVALUE Function Excel WORKDAY Function: Find Project Start and End Dates How to Combine the ROUND and SUM Functions in Excel How to Use the MONTH Formula in Excel How to Make a Calendar In Excel How to Use the IF-THEN Function in Excel Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies