Excel DATE Function: Build a Safe Date
By Szabó Gergő · Updated
DATE(year, month, day) creates a real date from parts. It is safer than typing 1/2/2026 in a mixed locale file.
Syntax and arguments
=DATE(year, month, day)- year
- Four-digit year.
- month
- 1 to 12. Values over 12 roll into the next year.
- day
- Day of the month. Overflow rolls into the next month.
DATE examples
01
From parts
Year A2, month B2, day C2.
=DATE(A2,B2,C2)The result is a date serial you can format.
02
First of this month
No inputs.
=DATE(YEAR(TODAY()),MONTH(TODAY()),1)Useful as a SUMIFS start date.
03
Month overflow
Month 14.
=DATE(2026,14,1)Becomes 1-Feb-2027. Handy for adding months.
Common mistakes
Two-digit years
Use 2026, not 26. Excel may map 26 to 1926 or 2026 depending on settings.
Text month names
MONTH and DATE need numbers. Map names with a lookup first.
Subtracting DATE results as text
Format the cell as a date. The value is already a serial.
DATE FAQ
DATE vs DATEVALUE?
DATE uses numeric parts. DATEVALUE parses a text date in the file locale.
How do I add a month?
=EDATE(A2,1) or =DATE(YEAR(A2),MONTH(A2)+1,DAY(A2)). Watch end-of-month overflow.
Can day be 0?
Yes. DATE(2026,3,0) is the last day of February 2026.