How to Calculate Business Days in Excel
Master the NETWORKDAYS and WORKDAY formulas to count business days between dates, add working days, and exclude holidays in Microsoft Excel.
1. NETWORKDAYS — Count Business Days Between Two Dates
The NETWORKDAYS function counts the number of business days (Monday–Friday) between two dates, optionally excluding holidays.
Syntax
=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
start_date | Yes | The start date of the period |
end_date | Yes | The end date of the period |
holidays | No | A range of cells containing holiday dates to exclude |
Example: Count Working Days Between Two Dates
Formula
=NETWORKDAYS("2026-01-05", "2026-01-16")Result: 10 (two work weeks, Mon-Fri)
Example: With Cell References
Formula
=NETWORKDAYS(A1, B1)Where A1 = start date, B1 = end date
2. WORKDAY — Add Business Days to a Date
The WORKDAY function returns a date that is N business days from a start date. Use this to calculate deadlines, due dates, and delivery estimates.
Syntax
=WORKDAY(start_date, days, [holidays])| Parameter | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
start_date | Yes | The date to start counting from |
days | Yes | Number of business days to add (or subtract if negative) |
holidays | No | A range of cells containing holiday dates to exclude |
Example: 10 Business Days from Today
Formula
=WORKDAY(TODAY(), 10)Returns the date that is 10 business days from today
Example: Subtract Business Days
Formula
=WORKDAY(TODAY(), -5)Returns the date that was 5 business days ago
3. NETWORKDAYS.INTL — Custom Weekend Days
For countries where the weekend isn't Saturday-Sunday (e.g., UAE uses Friday-Saturday), use NETWORKDAYS.INTL.
Syntax
=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(start_date, end_date, [weekend], [holidays])Weekend Codes
| Code | Weekend Days | Countries |
|---|---|---|
1 | Saturday, Sunday (default) | USA, UK, most countries |
2 | Sunday, Monday | — |
7 | Friday, Saturday | UAE, Saudi Arabia |
11 | Sunday only | — |
Example: UAE (Friday-Saturday weekend)
Formula
=NETWORKDAYS.INTL("2026-01-01", "2026-01-31", 7)Counts working days using Friday-Saturday as the weekend
4. WORKDAY.INTL — Add Days with Custom Weekends
Same as WORKDAY but lets you specify which days are weekends.
Syntax
=WORKDAY.INTL(start_date, days, [weekend], [holidays])Example
Formula
=WORKDAY.INTL(TODAY(), 30, 7, holidays_range)30 business days from today, Friday-Saturday weekend, excluding holidays
5. Excluding Public Holidays
To exclude holidays, create a list of holiday dates in a column, then reference that range in your formula.
Step-by-Step
- In a column (e.g., D1:D11), enter your country's public holiday dates for the year.
- Reference this range as the
holidaysparameter in your formula. - The formula will skip both weekends AND the listed holidays.
Formula with Holidays
=NETWORKDAYS(A1, B1, D1:D11)Counts business days excluding weekends AND holidays in D1:D11
💡 Pro Tip: Name your holiday range (e.g., "USHolidays2026") using Define Name in Excel. Then your formula becomes more readable:
=NETWORKDAYS(A1, B1, USHolidays2026) 6. Real-World Examples
Invoice Due Date (Net 30)
Formula
=WORKDAY(invoice_date, 30, holidays)Calculates when a Net 30 invoice is due in business days
Project Deadline
Formula
=WORKDAY(project_start, task_duration_days, holidays)Calculates project milestone dates
Shipping Estimate
Formula
=WORKDAY(ship_date, 5)Estimates delivery date for 5-business-day shipping
Remaining Work Days This Month
Formula
=NETWORKDAYS(TODAY(), EOMONTH(TODAY(), 0), holidays)Counts remaining business days until end of current month
7. Tips & Common Mistakes
- Date format: Ensure dates are formatted as actual Excel dates, not text. If your formula returns an error, check the cell format.
- Include both endpoints: NETWORKDAYS includes both the start and end dates in its count.
- Negative days: Use negative numbers in WORKDAY to count backwards.
- Year boundaries: NETWORKDAYS works fine across year boundaries — no special handling needed.
- Holiday list: Keep a dedicated sheet with holiday dates for each year. This makes maintenance easy.
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