Calculate Date Differences in Excel
Calculate Date Differences is a Excel function that networkdays counts the number of working days (monday through friday) between two dates, automatically excluding weekends.. Formula Genius generates and validates this formula automatically from a plain-English prompt.
Find the exact number of days, months, or years between two dates. Including business days that skip weekends and holidays.
The Formula
"Calculate the number of business days between two dates, excluding weekends"
=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2)NETWORKDAYS counts the number of working days (Monday through Friday) between two dates, automatically excluding weekends.
Step-by-Step Breakdown
- A2 is the start date
- B2 is the end date
- Weekends (Saturday and Sunday) are automatically excluded
- Optional third argument: a range of holiday dates to also exclude
- For simple day count: =B2-A2 (includes weekends)
Edge Cases & Warnings
- Both start and end dates are included in the count
- If end date is before start date, returns a negative number
- Non-date values return #VALUE! error
- For months between dates: =DATEDIF(A2,B2,"M")
- DATEDIF is undocumented but works — it's a compatibility function from Lotus 1-2-3
Examples
"Start: Jan 1, End: Jan 31"
23 business days (excluding 8 weekend days)"Start: Dec 20, End: Jan 3 (with holidays)"
=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,holidays) excludes holidays tooFrequently Asked Questions
How do I include holidays?
Add a range of holiday dates as the third argument: =NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,D2:D10) where D2:D10 lists your holiday dates.
How do I get months between dates?
Use =DATEDIF(start,end,"M") for complete months, or =(YEAR(B2)-YEAR(A2))*12+MONTH(B2)-MONTH(A2) for a month count.
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