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NETWORKDAYS in Excel: Count Working Days Between Dates

NETWORKDAYS counts the working days between two dates, skipping weekends and, optionally, holidays. Use it for project planning, delivery times and leave calculations.

NETWORKDAYS · 2 min read
In this guide
  1. NETWORKDAYS syntax
  2. Example
  3. Custom weekends
  4. Add working days: WORKDAY
  5. Common mistakes
  6. FAQ

NETWORKDAYS syntax

=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])
ArgumentWhat it means
start_dateThe first day. It's included in the count.
end_dateThe last day. Also included.
holidays
(optional)		A range of dates to skip as well, such as public holidays.

Saturdays and Sundays are always skipped. For other weekends, see NETWORKDAYS.INTL below.

Example

ABCD
1StartEndWorking daysHolidays
2Mon, Nov 2, 2026Fri, Nov 13, 20269Wed, Nov 11, 2026
  • =NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2) returns 10: two full working weeks.
  • =NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, D2:D10) returns 9: November 11 is skipped as a holiday.

Keep a list of public holidays on a separate sheet and refer to it with an absolute range, such as Holidays!$A$2:$A$20.

Custom weekends: NETWORKDAYS.INTL

=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(start_date, end_date, [weekend], [holidays])
  • weekend = 1: Saturday and Sunday (default)
  • weekend = 7: Friday and Saturday
  • weekend = 11: only Sunday
  • Or a 7-character string starting on Monday, where 1 is a day off: "0000011" is a normal weekend, "0000111" a four-day work week (Mon–Thu).

Add working days to a date: WORKDAY

The opposite question: what date is 10 working days from now?

=WORKDAY(start_date, days, [holidays])

=WORKDAY(TODAY(), 10) returns the date 10 working days from today, skipping weekends. WORKDAY.INTL supports custom weekends in the same way.

Common mistakes

  • Off by one: NETWORKDAYS includes both the start and end date. For "days between", subtract 1.
  • #VALUE!: a date is stored as text. See DATE.
  • Negative result: the start date is after the end date.

Frequently asked questions

Does NETWORKDAYS include the start date?

Yes, both the start and the end date are counted if they're working days.

How do I count only Mondays to Thursdays?

Use NETWORKDAYS.INTL with the weekend string "0000111".

How do I count working hours instead of days?

Multiply by the hours per day: =NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2)*8 for full days. Partial days need extra calculation.