Excel NETWORKDAYS: working days between two dates
NETWORKDAYS counts the working days between two dates — Saturdays and Sundays are skipped, and you can skip holidays too.
The formula
=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])
Both the start and end dates are counted if they’re working days.
Example
=NETWORKDAYS("01-10-2026","31-10-2026")
October 2026 has 22 weekdays.
Skip holidays
List holiday dates in H2:H10 (Gandhi Jayanti 02-Oct, Dussehra, Diwali…):
=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,$H$2:$H$10)
Keep the holiday list on its own sheet and lock the range with $.
Other weekends: NETWORKDAYS.INTL
=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A2,B2,weekend,holidays)
| weekend | Days off |
|---|---|
| 1 | Saturday, Sunday (default) |
| 7 | Friday, Saturday |
| 11 | Sunday only (6-day week) |
| “0000011” | custom string: Mon…Sun, 1 = day off |
Second and fourth Saturdays off? There’s no code — count them as holidays.
Working days left until a deadline
=NETWORKDAYS(TODAY(),C2,$H$2:$H$10)
The reverse: a date N working days away
That’s WORKDAY. All calendar days, not just working ones: days between dates.
#VALUE!
One of the dates is text. Check with =ISNUMBER(A2) and fix with convert text to date.
20 years with spreadsheets and enterprise systems. Writes one short, plain-English Excel lesson a day. Got an Excel question? learnexceleasycom@gmail.com
