Date
Counting weekdays between two dates
Definition
Counting workdays from a start date through an end date means giving NETWORKDAYS those two dates.
Syntax
=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date)
Arguments
| Argument | Meaning |
|---|---|
start_date |
The first date of the span. Both ends count as workdays when they fall on a weekday. |
end_date |
The last date of the span. Saturday and Sunday are skipped. |
Worked example
A fit-out list stores the start in B2 and the finish in C2.
| A: Job | B: Start | C: Finish |
|---|---|---|
| Loft | 6 May 2024 | 10 May 2024 |
| Hall | 13 May 2024 | 17 May 2024 |
| Yard | 20 May 2024 | 22 May 2024 |
Formula: =NETWORKDAYS(B2,C2)
Result: 5. Monday 6 May through Friday 10 May is five workdays.
Practice
Cell A2 holds the date 4 March 2024. Cell B2 holds the date 15 March 2024. In C2, write a formula that counts the workdays from A2 through B2.
- In C2, write a NETWORKDAYS formula that returns the workdays from A2 to B2.
- C2 should show the workdays from A2 to B2.
Step 1 of 2
Enter =NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2) in C2.
From 4 March 2024 to 15 March 2024 is 10 workdays.
Formulas here use English function names, such as SUM, and a period as the decimal separator, in every language.
Loading the sheet…
C2 uses NETWORKDAYS.
C2 now shows 10.
The next lesson is Shifting a date by weekdays.
Related functions
NETWORKDAYS is the function that counts those workdays and skips weekend days.
Common mistake
Reversing the dates, as in =NETWORKDAYS(C2,B2): the finish is first, so the result is -5 instead of 5.