Excel NETWORKDAYS Function

NETWORKDAYS counts working days between two dates using a Monday-through-Friday workweek.

Use it to measure turnaround time, service periods, project duration, or staffing days while excluding weekends and optional holiday dates.

1
Choose the date range Both endpoints can count
2
Exclude non-working dates Skip weekends and optional holidays
3
Return the workday count The result is a whole number

NETWORKDAYS syntax & arguments

Syntax

=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])
Required Optional
  1. 1

    start_date

    Required

    The first date in the period. It is included in the count when it falls on a weekday and is not listed as a holiday.

  2. 2

    end_date

    Required

    The last date in the period. It is included in the count when it falls on a weekday and is not listed as a holiday.

  3. 3

    holidays

    Optional

    Optional dates to exclude from the weekday count, such as company closures or public holidays.

Example

=NETWORKDAYS(B2, C2, H2:H10)

Count weekdays from B2 through C2, excluding holiday dates in H2:H10.

NETWORKDAYS caveats

  • The date range is inclusive

    The start and end dates each count when they fall from Monday through Friday and are not listed as holidays.

  • Weekends are fixed

    NETWORKDAYS always treats Saturday and Sunday as weekends, so it does not model schedules with different weekly days off.

  • Holiday values must be dates

    The optional holidays range should contain real Excel dates. Text that only looks like a date may not be excluded reliably.

  • Reversed dates return a negative count

    When start_date is later than end_date, NETWORKDAYS returns the workday count as a negative number.

Need the resulting deadline instead? Use WORKDAY to move forward or backward by a specified number of working days.

Intro NETWORKDAYS practice problem

Solve the intro problem directly here, or open it on its own page.

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Intro Workday Counts Pro problem

NETWORKDAYS
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Advanced NETWORKDAYS practice problems

Use NETWORKDAYS alongside other Excel functions in realistic, less-prescriptive challenges.

No advanced NETWORKDAYS problems are currently available.