How Many Business Days?
Find how many business days fall between two dates, or add a number of workdays to a starting date. Choose whether U.S. federal and custom holidays are skipped.
Written and checked by TheToolNet Editorial Team · Last reviewed: October 3, 2026 · Editorial method
Organizations can use different calendars. Confirm the holiday and endpoint rules for legal, payroll, shipping, or contractual deadlines.
Count or add business days
How business days are counted
Range mode excludes the start date by default and allows the end date to count. Inclusive mode makes both endpoints eligible. Add mode always begins with the following calendar date, which matches common “N business days from” wording.
U.S. federal holidays
The optional federal calendar includes the 11 holidays established for federal employees and applies the common observed-Friday rule for Saturday holidays and observed-Monday rule for Sunday holidays. Private employers, banks, schools, courts, exchanges, states, and countries may differ.
How to calculate business days in Excel
=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,holidays) counts working days inclusively. =WORKDAY(A2,N,holidays) adds N workdays without counting the start date. Use the .INTL versions for a non-Saturday/Sunday weekend.
Frequently asked questions
Does two business days include today?
Usually no: counting begins with the next eligible workday. Policies can define this differently, so the exact agreement controls.
Are federal holidays mandatory for private businesses?
No. The option is a reference calendar, not a statement that every organization closes.