FormuladrillNETWORKDAYS and WORKDAY
NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays]) counts the Monday to Friday days between two dates, both included, skipping any dates listed as holidays. WORKDAY(start_date, days, [holidays]) returns the date a number of working days after (or before) a start date. The .INTL versions let you choose which days are the weekend.
Syntax
NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays]) WORKDAY(start_date, days, [holidays]) NETWORKDAYS.INTL(start_date, end_date, [weekend], [holidays])| Part | What it is |
|---|---|
start_date, end_date | Real dates. NETWORKDAYS includes both ends. |
days (WORKDAY) | Working days to add. Negative goes backwards. |
holidays | Optional range of dates to skip, such as $H$2:$H$12. |
weekend (.INTL) | A number (1 is Saturday and Sunday, 11 is Sunday only) or a 7-character string of 0 and 1 starting on Monday, where 1 is a day off. |
Examples
=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(2026, 11, 2), DATE(2026, 11, 6))Result: 5
Monday 2 November to Friday 6 November 2026.
=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(2026, 11, 2), DATE(2026, 11, 13), $H$2:$H$12)Result: 10, or 9 if one of the listed holidays falls in those two weeks
=WORKDAY(DATE(2026, 11, 6), 1)Result: 9 November 2026
One working day after a Friday is the following Monday.
=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A2, B2, "0000011")Result: The same as NETWORKDAYS; change the string to "0000001" for a Sunday-only weekend
Common mistakes
- The count is one higher than expected: NETWORKDAYS includes both the start and the end date.
- Holidays are ignored: the holiday range contains text dates. They must be real dates.
- #VALUE!: one of the dates is text. Check with ISNUMBER.
- WORKDAY starts counting from the next day, so WORKDAY(Friday, 0) is Friday itself and WORKDAY(Friday, 1) is Monday.
Practice NETWORKDAYS and WORKDAY
These drills check your answer on live data, free, no account needed.
- Payment due datesEach invoice is due 30 days after its invoice date. Fill C2 and C3. Excel stores dates as day numbers, so you can add days directly.
- Days between datesWork out how many days each task took from start to end. Fill D2 and D3.
Questions
How do I count working days between two dates in Excel?
=NETWORKDAYS(start, end, holidays). Omit holidays if you only need weekends removed.
How do I add business days to a date?
=WORKDAY(A2, 10, holidays) gives the date ten working days after A2.
How do I count working days with a different weekend?
Use NETWORKDAYS.INTL with a weekend code: 7 for Friday and Saturday, 11 for Sunday only, or a string like "0000110" for Friday and Saturday off.
Related
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- TODAY and NOWHow the Excel TODAY and NOW functions insert the current date or date and time, with formulas for days until a deadline, age, overdue flags and fixed dates.
- IFHow the Excel IF function returns one value when a test is true and another when false, with pass or fail, blank cell, nested IF and IF with AND examples.