How does this calculator count business days?
To count the business days between two dates, it counts the weekdays from the start date up to the end date and takes out any US federal holidays in between, using the day each holiday is observed.
The end date isn't counted unless you switch on Include the end date. When you add business days, counting starts on the next business day, so 1 business day after a Friday is the following Monday. You can stop skipping holidays, or change the weekend to Friday and Saturday or to Sunday only, and the calculator lists every holiday it skipped.
What counts as a business day?
A business day is any Monday to Friday that isn't a public holiday.
Federal offices observe a holiday that lands on a Saturday on the Friday before, and one that lands on a Sunday on the Monday after. The Federal Reserve, and with it most banks, handles Saturdays differently: it stays open on the Friday before. Private employers set their own calendars, so a business day for your bank, your office and a shipping company won't always match.
Which US federal holidays does the calculator skip?
It skips the 11 holidays set by federal law, each on the date federal offices observe it.
| Holiday | When it falls |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Third Monday in January |
| Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day) | Third Monday in February |
| Memorial Day | Last Monday in May |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day | June 19 |
| Independence Day | July 4 |
| Labor Day | First Monday in September |
| Columbus Day | Second Monday in October |
| Veterans Day | November 11 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Fourth Thursday in November |
| Christmas Day | December 25 |
Holidays with a fixed date move to the Friday before when they land on a Saturday and to the Monday after when they land on a Sunday. When January 1 falls on a Saturday, the observed holiday is Friday, December 31 of the year before, so a calendar year can hold 10, 11 or 12 observed holidays. State, local and company holidays aren't included.
How are business-day deadlines counted?
Most deadlines written in business days start counting on the next business day, so 10 business days after a Friday, with no holidays in between, is the Friday two weeks later.
Courts, contracts and government agencies can define the count differently, for example by leaving out the day of the event or by moving a deadline that lands on a holiday to the next business day. Check the rule that applies, and read our disclaimer, before relying on any calculator for a legal or financial deadline.
How many business days are in a year or a month?
A year has 249 to 251 business days on the US federal schedule: 260 to 262 weekdays, minus the federal holidays that land on weekdays. That works out to about 250 in most years.
A month has 18 to 23 business days, depending on how its weekends fall and which holidays it contains. For rough planning, 21 business days is a fair average for a month, and 5 for a week without a holiday.
How do you count business days in Excel and Google Sheets?
Use =NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2) to count the weekdays from a start date in A2 to an end date in B2, and add a range of holiday dates as a third argument, as in =NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,E2:E12), to skip those too.
NETWORKDAYS counts both the start and the end date, so it returns one more than this calculator does when the end date is a business day. To find a date instead, =WORKDAY(A2,10) gives the date 10 business days after A2. NETWORKDAYS.INTL and WORKDAY.INTL let you pick a different weekend, such as Friday and Saturday, and Google Sheets supports all four functions.
More questions about business days
Is Saturday a business day?
Not by the usual definition. Some banks and shops open on Saturdays, but business days normally run Monday to Friday.
Does the calculator skip state holidays?
No. It skips US federal holidays only, so take out state, local or company holidays yourself if they fall inside your dates.
How many business days are in a week?
Five, Monday through Friday. A week with a federal holiday in it has four.
What date is 5 business days from today?
Choose Add or subtract, keep today as the start date and enter 5. From a Monday with no holidays that week, the answer is the following Monday.
What's the difference between business days and calendar days?
Calendar days count every day, while business days skip weekends and holidays. Two weeks hold 14 calendar days but only 10 business days. To count calendar days, use the day counter.