Workdays Between Dates Calculator
Count business days (Monday–Friday) between two dates, optionally excluding US federal holidays.
Find out how many working days sit between two dates — the number payroll, project plans, and delivery estimates actually run on. Weekends are always excluded, and you can also exclude US federal holidays with one checkbox. The page shows workdays, weekend days, and the total calendar span side by side so the arithmetic is transparent.
How to use this calculator
- Pick the start date and the end date.
- Leave the holiday box unticked for a plain Monday–Friday count, or tick it to also remove US federal holidays.
- Press Calculate.
- Read the three result cards: workdays, weekend days in the range, and total calendar days — they always add up.
The formula
Workdays = weekdays (Mon–Fri) in the interval (start, end] − federal holidays that fall on those weekdays (when the holiday option is on).
Worked example
From Monday, October 12, 2026 to Friday, October 16, 2026 the calculator gives 4 workdays and 0 weekend days. Stretch the end to Monday, October 19 and it gives 5 workdays, 2 weekend days, and a 7-day total — the three numbers always reconcile.
Frequently Asked Questions
How are workdays counted here?
The start date itself is not counted; every weekday after it, up to and including the end date, counts as one workday. So Monday to Friday of the same week gives 4 workdays by this method (Tuesday through Friday). This matches how most date-difference tools and the NETWORKDAYS-style spreadsheet convention behave when measuring elapsed business time.
Which holidays does the holiday option exclude?
The eleven US federal holidays: New Year's Day, MLK Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. They are applied at their calendar dates — when a holiday falls on a weekend, the shifted federal 'observed' day is not applied, and the calculator says so next to the checkbox.
Does Thanksgiving week really lose two workdays?
Only one to the holiday itself. From Wednesday, November 25 to Friday, November 27, 2026 there are 2 counted weekdays (Thursday and Friday); with holidays excluded it drops to 1, because Thursday, November 26 is Thanksgiving. Black Friday is not a federal holiday, so it still counts as a workday even though many offices close.
Can I count workdays backwards or in the past?
Yes. If the end date is earlier than the start date you get a negative workday count with the same magnitude as counting forwards between the same two dates. The weekend-day and total-day figures are always shown as positive counts.
Why do different calculators give me different numbers?
Almost always a counting-convention difference: whether the start day, end day, or both are included, and whether holidays are in or out. This page states its convention on the results card so you can reconcile it against payroll or a contract that uses a different one.