The NETWORKDAYS function counts only weekdays between two dates

Excel has a built-in function called NETWORKDAYS that counts business days automatically. It skips weekends and, if you tell it to, skips holidays too. This is faster and more accurate than trying to count manually or build your own formula.

The basic formula looks like this: =NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date). You replace start_date and end_date with the actual dates you want to measure between — either by typing them directly or by pointing to cells that contain dates.

By default, NETWORKDAYS treats Saturday and Sunday as non-working days. If your business operates on a different schedule, you can change which days count as weekends, but most users will not need to adjust this.

Key Takeaways

  • NETWORKDAYS counts weekdays only and automatically excludes Saturdays and Sundays from the total.
  • You can add a third argument to the formula to exclude specific holidays, using a range of cells that contain those dates.
  • The formula returns a number — the count of business days between your two dates, not a date itself.
  • NETWORKDAYS.INTL is available if you need to define weekends differently, such as Friday-Saturday instead of Saturday-Sunday.

Setting up your dates in Excel cells

Before you write the formula, you need dates in cells. Put your start date in one cell (for example, A1) and your end date in another (for example, B1). Make sure Excel recognizes them as dates, not text. If you type them as 1/15/2024 or 2024-01-15, Excel usually converts them automatically.

If a date appears left-aligned in its cell instead of right-aligned, Excel is treating it as text. Right-click the cell, choose Format Cells, and set the format to Date. Then re-enter the date if needed.

You can also use the TODAY() function to use today's date without typing it. For example, =NETWORKDAYS(A1, TODAY()) will count business days from the date in A1 until right now.

Writing the basic NETWORKDAYS formula

Click the cell where you want the result to appear. Type =NETWORKDAYS(A1,B1) if your start date is in A1 and end date is in B1. Press Enter. Excel calculates and shows the number of business days between those two dates.

The formula counts both the start date and the end date if they fall on weekdays. If your start date is a Friday and your end date is the following Monday, the result is 2 (Friday and Monday), not 1.

If you want to exclude the start date from the count, subtract 1 from the result: =NETWORKDAYS(A1,B1)-1. This is useful if you are measuring how many business days remain after today, rather than including today itself.

Excluding holidays from the count

To skip holidays, add a third argument to the formula with the dates of those holidays. Create a list of holiday dates in a separate area of your spreadsheet — for example, cells D1 through D10. Then write: =NETWORKDAYS(A1,B1,D1:D10).

Excel will now subtract any holidays that fall between your start and end dates. If a holiday falls on a weekend, it does not affect the count (the weekend was already excluded). If a holiday falls on a weekday, that day no longer counts as a business day.

You can list holidays in any order, and you can include more holidays than will actually fall in your date range — Excel ignores the ones that do not apply. This makes it easy to use the same holiday list for multiple calculations.

Using NETWORKDAYS.INTL for different weekend schedules

If your business does not observe Saturday-Sunday weekends, use NETWORKDAYS.INTL instead. This function lets you specify which days are non-working days.

The formula is =NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A1,B1,weekend_code). The weekend code is a number from 1 to 17 that represents different weekend patterns. Code 1 (the default) is Saturday-Sunday. Code 2 is Sunday-Monday. Code 3 is Monday-Tuesday, and so on.

If you need Friday-Saturday weekends, use code 11. You can also add holidays as a fourth argument: =NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A1,B1,11,D1:D10). Check your version of Excel — NETWORKDAYS.INTL is available in Excel 2010 and later, and in all versions of Excel Online.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

The most common error is putting text in a date cell. If your formula returns an error like #VALUE!, check that both your start and end dates are formatted as dates, not text. Select the cell, look at the formula bar at the top, and verify that it shows a date value, not a text string in quotes.

Another mistake is reversing the dates — putting the end date first and the start date second. NETWORKDAYS will return a negative number if you do this. Always put the earlier date first.

If your holiday list is in a different sheet, include the sheet name in the range: =NETWORKDAYS(A1,B1,Holidays!D1:D10). If you forget the sheet name, Excel cannot find the holidays and returns an error.

Calculating business days for project timelines

Use NETWORKDAYS to figure out when a project will finish. If a task takes 10 business days and starts on January 15, you need a formula that adds 10 business days to that start date. Use WORKDAY for this: =WORKDAY(A1,10) returns the date that is 10 business days after the date in A1.

You can combine this with holidays: =WORKDAY(A1,10,D1:D10) adds 10 business days while skipping the holidays in your list. This is useful for scheduling when you know how many working days a task requires but need to account for weekends and company holidays.

If you have multiple projects with different start dates, copy the NETWORKDAYS formula down a column. Each row will calculate the business days for its own pair of dates, saving you from typing the formula over and over.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does NETWORKDAYS count the start date and end date?

Yes, both dates are included in the count if they fall on weekdays. If your start date is Monday and your end date is Friday of the same week, the result is 5 (all five weekdays). If you want to exclude the start date, subtract 1 from the result.

What if I need to count only certain days, like Mondays and Wednesdays?

NETWORKDAYS cannot do this — it counts all weekdays except those you mark as holidays. For custom day counting, you would need to build a more complex formula using SUMPRODUCT and WEEKDAY, or use a helper column to mark which days to count.

Can I use NETWORKDAYS with dates from different sheets?

Yes. Reference the other sheet by name: =NETWORKDAYS(Sheet2!A1,Sheet2!B1). If the sheet name has spaces, wrap it in single quotes: =NETWORKDAYS('Sheet 2'!A1,'Sheet 2'!B1).

What happens if the start date is after the end date?

NETWORKDAYS returns a negative number. This is technically correct — there are negative business days between a later date and an earlier one. If you want to avoid negative results, use the ABS function to return the absolute value: =ABS(NETWORKDAYS(A1,B1)).

Does NETWORKDAYS work in Google Sheets?

Yes, Google Sheets has NETWORKDAYS and WORKDAY with the same syntax. NETWORKDAYS.INTL is also available. The formulas work the same way, though Google Sheets may format dates slightly differently depending on your locale settings.