How to Calculate Dates in Excel: Complete Guide

1. TODAY() — Get the Current Date

The simplest date formula. =TODAY() returns today's date and updates automatically every time you open the spreadsheet.

Add days to today: =TODAY()+30 gives you the date 30 days from now. Replace 30 with any number. You can also use our days from today calculator for instant results without a spreadsheet.

Subtract days: =TODAY()-90 gives you the date 90 days ago.

2. DATEDIF() — Difference Between Two Dates

DATEDIF calculates the difference between two dates in various units:

Example — Calculate someone's exact age:

=DATEDIF(A1, TODAY(), "y") & " years, " & DATEDIF(A1, TODAY(), "ym") & " months"

Or use our age calculator for instant results.

3. EDATE() — Add or Subtract Months

=EDATE(A1, 3) adds 3 months to the date in A1. Use negative numbers to subtract: =EDATE(A1, -6) goes back 6 months.

Also available: our months from today calculator.

4. WORKDAY() — Business Days Calculator

=WORKDAY(A1, 10) finds the date 10 business days after A1, automatically skipping weekends.

With holidays: =WORKDAY(A1, 10, holidays) where "holidays" is a range of cells containing holiday dates.

Try our business days calculator for quick results.

5. NETWORKDAYS() — Count Business Days Between Dates

=NETWORKDAYS(A1, B1) counts the weekdays between two dates. Add a third argument for holidays to exclude.

6. WEEKDAY() — Get Day of Week

=WEEKDAY(A1) returns 1 (Sunday) through 7 (Saturday). Use =TEXT(A1, "dddd") to get the day name (Monday, Tuesday, etc.).

7. WEEKNUM() — Get Week Number

=WEEKNUM(A1) returns the week number (US convention). For ISO week numbers, use =ISOWEEKNUM(A1).

See also: week number calculator.

Quick Reference Table