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Days Between Dates Calculator (Date Difference)
Pick two dates and this date calculator counts the days between them, with or without the end date. It also gives the span in weeks, months, hours and business days. From March 1 to December 25, 2026 is 299 days, for example. To count down from today instead, use the days until calculator. To land on a date a set number of days away, use add days to a date.
Quick answer: Take the earlier date away from the later one. That counts the midnights in between, so the end date itself is left out. If both dates should count, add 1. A festival from the first day to the last is counted that way.
How the days between two dates are counted
Each date is treated as midnight at the start of that day. So September 21 to September 25 is 4 days. A spreadsheet gives the same answer when it subtracts the dates. Tick "Include the end date" and it becomes 5. Most people want that count for trips, events and leave requests.
Business days are counted separately. The calculator skips Saturdays and Sundays and, if you choose a country, its public holidays too. So a deadline written in working days lines up with the calendar.
Worked example: March 1 to December 25, 2026
Picture a shop owner who opened on March 1 and wants to know how long it is until Christmas. March has 30 days left after the 1st, April through November add 244 more, and December contributes 25.
That makes 299 days in all, which is 42 weeks and 5 days. If the opening day counts as well, the total rises to 300. As a calendar span it is 9 months and 24 days.
Result: 299 days between the dates, or 300 with both dates counted.
Days in each month
| Month | Days in 2026 | Days in 2028 | Jan 1, 2026 to the 1st |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 31 | 0 |
| February | 28 | 29 | 31 |
| March | 31 | 31 | 59 |
| April | 30 | 30 | 90 |
| May | 31 | 31 | 120 |
| June | 30 | 30 | 151 |
| July | 31 | 31 | 181 |
| August | 31 | 31 | 212 |
| September | 30 | 30 | 243 |
| October | 31 | 31 | 273 |
| November | 30 | 30 | 304 |
| December | 31 | 31 | 334 |
A common year has 365 days and a leap year has 366. For the days from January 1 to any date in 2026, take the last column and add the day of the month minus 1.
Days between dates in Excel or Google Sheets
Dates in a spreadsheet are stored as day numbers, so plain subtraction already gives the gap in days. The functions below cover the other common cases and work the same in Google Sheets.
| What you want | Formula (start in A2, end in B2) |
|---|---|
| Days between dates | =B2-A2 |
| Including the end date | =B2-A2+1 |
| Weekdays only, both dates counted | =NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2) |
| Weekdays minus a holiday list in D2:D12 | =NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,D2:D12) |
| Whole months between | =DATEDIF(A2,B2,"m") |
| Whole years between | =DATEDIF(A2,B2,"y") |
Mistakes to watch for
Off-by-one errors cause most wrong answers. Hotel stays and loan interest use the plain difference, so three nights from Friday to Monday is 3. An event that runs Friday to Monday covers 4 days, because both ends count.
Months are the next trap. They run from 28 to 31 days. So "three months" is not a fixed number of days. February also changes length in leap years. 2028 is the next year with a February 29.
Clock changes can also catch spreadsheet users who divide hours by 24. On the day daylight saving starts or ends, a day lasts 23 or 25 hours, which leaves a stray fraction. Counting calendar dates, as this page does, avoids that.
Date difference questions
These are the questions people ask most when they count the days between two dates.
How many days are between two dates?
Subtract the earlier date from the later one, or enter both above. A school term from September 2 to December 18, 2026 lasts 107 days on that count. It is 108 if the first day of term counts too.
How do I count days including the end date?
Work out the difference and add 1. Someone off work from Monday, August 3 to Friday, August 7 is away for 5 days. The dates themselves are only 4 apart.
Can I count days between dates excluding weekends?
Yes. The result shows business days next to the calendar total. They leave out Saturdays, Sundays and the public holidays of the country you pick. For more options, such as adding business days to a date, try the business days calculator.
How many weeks are between two dates?
Divide the days by 7, and what is left over is extra days. Take 100 days, a typical probation period at some firms. That works out to 14 weeks and 2 days.
How many months are between two dates?
Count whole calendar months first, then the days left over. January 15 to April 20 is 3 months and 5 days. The result line here shows that breakdown under the day count.
How many days are in a year?
A common year has 365 days and a leap year has 366. Leap years fall every four years, except century years not divisible by 400. That is why 2000 had a February 29 but 2100 will not.
How many days is it from today to a date?
Set the start date to today and the end date to the day you have in mind. From November 1 to Christmas Day is 54 days, and the days until calculator keeps that count updated every day.
Cite this page
APA: ClockTotals. (2026, October 16). Days Between Dates Calculator (Date Difference). https://clocktotals.com/date-difference-calculator/
MLA: “Days Between Dates Calculator (Date Difference).” ClockTotals, 16 Oct. 2026, clocktotals.com/date-difference-calculator/.
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