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Excel NETWORKDAYS: Count Business Days

By Szabó Gergő · Updated

NETWORKDAYS counts inclusive weekdays between two dates and can skip a holiday range.

Syntax and arguments

=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])
start_date
First date, included if it is a weekday.
end_date
Last date, included if it is a weekday.
holidays
Optional date list to exclude.

NETWORKDAYS examples

01
Standard weekdays

A2 start, B2 end.

=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2)

Saturday and Sunday are skipped.

02
Holiday list

Holidays on Holidays!A2:A20.

=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,Holidays!A2:A20)

Weekday holidays drop out of the count.

03
Friday-Saturday weekend

INTL available.

=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A2,B2,7)

Weekend code 7 is Friday and Saturday.

Common mistakes

  • Treating the result as exclusive

    Both ends count. Subtract 1 if you want the open interval.

  • Text dates

    Convert them before counting.

  • Holiday names instead of dates

    The holiday argument must be dates.

NETWORKDAYS FAQ

Does it count the start day?

Yes, when the start date is a weekday and not a holiday.

How do I add workdays to a date?

Use WORKDAY or WORKDAY.INTL, not NETWORKDAYS.

Can weekends be Sunday only?

NETWORKDAYS.INTL weekend code 1 is Saturday-Sunday, 11 is Sunday only.