last modified April 4, 2025
The WORKDAY and NETWORKDAYS functions are essential
for date calculations in Excel. They help calculate working days while excluding
weekends and holidays. This tutorial provides a comprehensive guide to using
these functions with detailed examples. You'll learn basic syntax, practical
applications, and advanced techniques.
WORKDAY calculates a date after adding workdays to a start date.
NETWORKDAYS counts workdays between two dates. Both exclude
weekends and can optionally exclude holidays.
| Function | Description | Syntax |
|---|---|---|
| WORKDAY | Returns date after specified workdays | =WORKDAY(start_date, days, [holidays]) |
| NETWORKDAYS | Counts workdays between dates | =NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays]) |
This table shows the core differences between the two functions. WORKDAY moves forward/backward in time, while NETWORKDAYS calculates the difference between dates.
This example shows how to calculate a due date 10 workdays from today.
=WORKDAY(TODAY(), 10)
This formula returns the date 10 workdays from today, excluding weekends. If today is Monday April 1, 2025, it returns Monday April 15 (skipping 2 weekends).
This example demonstrates WORKDAY with a custom holiday list to exclude specific dates from the calculation.
| A | B |
|---|---|
| Start Date | 2025年04月01日 |
| Holiday 1 | 2025年04月07日 |
| Holiday 2 | 2025年04月14日 |
| Result | =WORKDAY(B1, 10, B2:B3) |
The table shows a start date and two holidays. The WORKDAY formula calculates 10 workdays from start date, excluding both weekends and the listed holidays.
=WORKDAY(B1, 10, B2:B3)
This formula returns April 16, 2025 (original result was April 15, but April 14 is a holiday). The calculation skips weekends and the two specified holidays.
This example counts workdays between two dates, useful for calculating project duration.
| A | B |
|---|---|
| Start Date | 2025年04月01日 |
| End Date | 2025年04月30日 |
| Workdays | =NETWORKDAYS(B1, B2) |
The table shows a date range in April 2025. The NETWORKDAYS formula calculates how many workdays exist between these dates, automatically excluding weekends.
=NETWORKDAYS(B1, B2)
This formula returns 22 workdays in April 2025 (30 total days minus 8 weekend days). NETWORKDAYS includes both start and end dates in the count if they are workdays.
This enhanced example shows NETWORKDAYS excluding both weekends and holidays.
| A | B |
|---|---|
| Start Date | 2025年04月01日 |
| End Date | 2025年04月30日 |
| Holiday 1 | 2025年04月07日 |
| Holiday 2 | 2025年04月14日 |
| Workdays | =NETWORKDAYS(B1, B2, B3:B4) |
The table extends the previous example with a holiday list. The NETWORKDAYS formula now excludes these dates from the workday count along with weekends.
=NETWORKDAYS(B1, B2, B3:B4)
This formula returns 20 workdays (original 22 minus 2 holidays). The holidays fell on weekdays (Monday April 7 and Monday April 14) and were excluded.
These advanced versions let you customize which days are considered weekends. This example shows WORKDAY.INTL with a Tuesday-Wednesday weekend.
=WORKDAY.INTL("2025-04-01", 10, "0001100")
This formula calculates 10 workdays from April 1, 2025, treating only Tuesdays and Wednesdays as weekends. The "0001100" string defines the weekend pattern (1=weekend, 0=workday).
The WORKDAY and NETWORKDAYS functions are powerful
tools for business date calculations. They handle weekends automatically and
can incorporate holiday schedules. The INTL versions provide flexibility for
non-standard work weeks. Mastering these functions will improve your date-based
calculations in Excel.
My name is Jan Bodnar, and I am a passionate programmer with extensive programming experience. I have been writing programming articles since 2007. To date, I have authored over 1,400 articles and 8 e-books. I possess more than ten years of experience in teaching programming.
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