Excel function guide · Dates
NETWORKDAYS function in Excel
NETWORKDAYS counts the working days (Monday to Friday) between two dates, including both the start and end dates, and can also skip a list of holidays. WORKDAY goes the other way: it returns the date a number of working days later.
Syntax
=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])
=WORKDAY(start_date, days, [holidays])
| Argument | Required? | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| start_date | Required | The first date. NETWORKDAYS counts it if it's a weekday. |
| end_date (NETWORKDAYS) | Required | The last date, also counted if it's a weekday. |
| days (WORKDAY) | Required | How many working days to move forward (or back, if negative). |
| holidays | Optional | A range of dates to skip, such as public holidays. |
NETWORKDAYS examples
Every example uses this small table. The results are what Excel shows in the cell.
| A | B | C | D | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Task | Start | End | Holidays | |
| 2 | Vendor review | 2 Mar 2026 | 13 Mar 2026 | 3 Apr 2026 | |
| 3 | Contract draft | 16 Mar 2026 | 3 Apr 2026 | 6 Apr 2026 | |
| 4 | Sign-off | 7 Apr 2026 | 17 Apr 2026 |
1. Working days in a task
=NETWORKDAYS(B2, C2)
Result: 10
Monday 2 March to Friday 13 March: two full working weeks, counting both ends.
2. Skipping holidays
=NETWORKDAYS(B3, C3, E2:E3)
Result: 14
Three working weeks is 15 days, minus the 3 April holiday. The 6 April holiday is outside the task, so it doesn't count.
3. The next working day
=WORKDAY(C3, 1, E2:E3)
Result: 7 Apr 2026
One working day after Friday 3 April skips the weekend and the Monday holiday.
Try it now
Practise NETWORKDAYS in a live sheet.
Type each formula yourself. Answers are checked by the same engine as the full course. No account needed.
Step 1 of 3
In D2, count the working days in the Vendor review task, from B2 to C2.
Common NETWORKDAYS mistakes
Subtracting dates instead
C2-B2 gives 11 for the first task: it counts calendar days and leaves out the start date. NETWORKDAYS counts weekdays and includes both ends.
Holidays that move when copied
Lock the holiday range when filling down: $E$2:$E$3. Holidays must be real dates, not text.
Weekends other than Saturday and Sunday
NETWORKDAYS and WORKDAY assume a Saturday–Sunday weekend. For a different weekend (for example Friday–Saturday), Excel has NETWORKDAYS.INTL and WORKDAY.INTL.
WORKDAY shows a number
WORKDAY returns a date serial. Format the cell as a date.
Practise this in Excel Quest
EOMONTH, EDATE & working days Members
Course 8 · Dates & Time · 13 min
Set payment due dates, renewal dates and working-day deadlines the way finance and operations teams do. The lesson covers WORKDAY and NETWORKDAYS alongside EOMONTH and EDATE, for due dates and approval deadlines.
This lesson is included in Formula Quest memberships. A free account starts you on the free lessons of the Excel Quest curriculum.