Date & time
How to Use NETWORKDAYS in Excel (Business Days, with Examples)
NETWORKDAYS counts the number of working days between two dates, automatically skipping Saturdays and Sundays. It is the function for measuring turnaround time, project duration, or SLA windows in business days rather than calendar days.
You can also hand it a list of holidays so public holidays are excluded too, and its sibling NETWORKDAYS.INTL lets you define which days count as the weekend for countries that do not rest on Saturday and Sunday. This guide covers all three with worked examples.
NETWORKDAYS syntax
=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays]) | Argument | Required | What it does |
|---|---|---|
start_date | Required | The first day of the period. It is included in the count if it is a working day. |
end_date | Required | The last day of the period. It is also included if it is a working day. |
holidays | Optional | An optional range or list of dates to exclude, such as public holidays. Lock it with $ when filling down. |
weekend (INTL only) | Optional | In NETWORKDAYS.INTL, a code or pattern that defines which days are the weekend. |
Note: Both start_date and end_date are counted. Use NETWORKDAYS.INTL when the weekend is not Saturday and Sunday.
Examples
Real, copy-paste-ready formulas.
1. Business days between two dates
=NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2) Returns the number of weekdays from A2 to B2 inclusive, skipping every Saturday and Sunday in between. Both end dates are counted if they are weekdays.
2. Exclude public holidays
=NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, $E$2:$E$10) The third argument is a range of holiday dates to drop from the count. The $ signs lock the range so it stays fixed when you copy the formula down.
3. A Friday and Saturday weekend
=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A2, B2, 7) NETWORKDAYS.INTL takes a weekend code as its third argument; 7 means Friday and Saturday. Add a holidays range as a fourth argument if needed.
4. Custom one-day weekend
=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A2, B2, "0000001") A 7-character string sets each day from Monday to Sunday, where 1 is a non-working day. "0000001" makes only Sunday a weekend, leaving Saturday a working day.
How to write NETWORKDAYS step by step
- 1
Click the cell where you want the count and type =NETWORKDAYS(
- 2
Click the start date (start_date), then type a comma.
- 3
Click the end date (end_date). To exclude holidays, type a comma next.
- 4
Select the range of holiday dates and press F4 to lock it with $ signs.
- 5
Close the bracket ) and press Enter. Switch to NETWORKDAYS.INTL if your weekend is not Saturday and Sunday.
Common errors and fixes
| Error | Why it happens | How to fix it |
|---|---|---|
#VALUE! | A date argument is text instead of a real date, or a holiday in the list is not a valid date. | Make sure all dates are genuine dates (right-aligned by default), including every entry in the holidays range. |
#NUM! | In NETWORKDAYS.INTL, the weekend code or string is invalid. | Use a valid weekend number (1 to 7 or 11 to 17) or a correct 7-character string of 0s and 1s. |
Count seems one too high | NETWORKDAYS includes both the start and end dates in the total. | This is expected. Subtract 1 if you only want the days between, not including the start day. |
Holidays not excluded | The holiday dates fall outside the start-to-end range, or they are stored as text. | Confirm holidays sit within the period and are real dates, then the count will drop them. |
Frequently asked questions
Does NETWORKDAYS include the start and end dates?
Yes. Both the start_date and end_date are counted if they are working days. So a Monday-to-Friday span with no holidays returns 5.
How do I exclude holidays from NETWORKDAYS?
List your holiday dates in a range and pass it as the third argument, for example =NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, $E$2:$E$10). Any of those dates that fall on a weekday within the range are removed from the count.
What is the difference between NETWORKDAYS and NETWORKDAYS.INTL?
NETWORKDAYS always treats Saturday and Sunday as the weekend. NETWORKDAYS.INTL adds a weekend argument so you can choose different non-working days, such as Friday and Saturday, or a single rest day.
Does NETWORKDAYS work in Google Sheets?
Yes. Google Sheets supports both NETWORKDAYS and NETWORKDAYS.INTL with the same arguments, including the optional holidays range and weekend codes.