Date
MONTH
Definition
MONTH returns the month number of a date, from 1 to 12.
Syntax
=MONTH(serial_number)
Arguments
| Argument | Meaning |
|---|---|
serial_number |
A date, or the cell holding it. |
Worked example
A greenhouse logs planting days. The dates are in B2:B4.
| A: Crop | B: Date |
|---|---|
| Peas | 4 Nov 2021 |
| Kale | 8 Mar 2023 |
| Beets | 20 Oct 2023 |
Formula: =MONTH(B2)
Result: 11. 4 November 2021 is month 11.
Practice
Cell A2 holds the date 15 June 2024. In B2, write a formula that returns the month of that date.
- In B2, write a MONTH formula for A2.
- B2 should show the month of A2.
Step 1 of 2
Enter =MONTH(A2) in B2.
A2 is 15 June 2024, so the month is 6.
Formulas here use English function names, such as SUM, and a period as the decimal separator, in every language.
Loading the sheet…
B2 uses MONTH.
B2 now shows 6.
Related functions
MONTH pairs with YEAR to split a date, and DATE can rebuild a date from those parts.
Common mistake
Reading a date that is formatted as Nov-21 and typing 21 into MONTH: the argument must be a real date, not the two-digit year you see on screen.