Count the number of business days (weekdays) between two dates. Excludes weekends automatically for accurate working day calculations.
The Business Days Between Dates Calculator counts the number of weekdays (Monday through Friday) between any two dates. Unlike a simple day counter, this tool excludes Saturdays and Sundays, giving you the actual number of working days in a given period.
Business day calculations are critical in many professional contexts. Legal deadlines often reference business days rather than calendar days. Shipping estimates, project timelines, contract terms, and payroll periods all rely on accurate business day counts.
The calculator uses day-of-week algorithms to determine which days fall on weekends and excludes them from the count. It handles any date range, from a few days to many years, with instant results. Note that public holidays are not excluded, as these vary by country and jurisdiction.
Tracking this metric consistently enables professionals to identify patterns in how they allocate time and effort, revealing opportunities to work more effectively and accomplish more each day.
Legal deadlines, delivery estimates, and project timelines often use business days rather than calendar days. This calculator instantly gives you the weekday count between any two dates, saving you from manually counting on a calendar. It's essential for lawyers, project managers, HR professionals, and logistics planners. Data-driven tracking enables proactive schedule management, helping professionals protect focused work time and reduce the cognitive overhead of constant task-switching throughout the day.
For each day from start to end: 1. Calculate day of week using Zeller's congruence 2. Count the day if it falls on Monday through Friday 3. Skip Saturdays (6) and Sundays (0) Efficient formula: Business Days = Total Days − 2 × floor(Total Days / 7) − adjustments for partial weeks.
Result: 20 business days
February 2026 starts on a Sunday. From Feb 1 to Feb 28, there are 27 calendar days. Removing 8 weekend days (4 Saturdays and 4 Sundays) leaves 20 business days, which is a typical work month.
Business day counting is fundamental to commerce, law, and project management. Shipping companies promise deliveries in business days. Banks process transactions on business days. Courts set deadlines in business days. Understanding the distinction between calendar and business days prevents costly errors.
For quick estimates: each full week contains 5 business days, each month averages about 21.7 business days, and each year averages about 261 business days. These approximations are useful for rough planning but should be verified with exact calculations for critical deadlines.
Public holidays remove additional days from the business day count. The US observes 11 federal holidays, the UK has 8 bank holidays, and other countries have varying numbers. Always check the applicable holiday schedule for your jurisdiction.
A business day is any day from Monday through Friday that is not a public holiday. This calculator counts weekdays only. Public holidays vary by country and are not automatically excluded—you may need to subtract them manually.
No, this calculator excludes weekends (Saturday and Sunday) but not public holidays. Holiday schedules vary by country, state, and even company. You should manually subtract any holidays that fall on weekdays within your date range.
A typical year has about 260–262 business days (52 weeks × 5 days, plus 1–2 extra weekdays depending on which day January 1 falls). Subtracting public holidays, the US typically has about 250 working days per year.
Legal deadlines use business days because courts and government offices are closed on weekends. Filing deadlines, response periods, and statutory waiting periods are measured in business days to ensure all parties have equal access to working days for compliance.
By convention, this calculator counts business days between the two dates, not including the start date itself. If you need to include both endpoints, add 1 to the result (if the start date is a business day).
Some countries observe a Sunday–Thursday or Saturday–Wednesday work week. This calculator uses the international Monday–Friday standard. For alternative work weeks, you would need to adjust the excluded days accordingly.