A short formula you can use to calculate the number of days between two specific dates.
Contents:
Formula
Calculate number of weekend days between two dates:
= DAYS(end_date, start_date)Explanation
This formula only uses a single function, the DAYS function.
The DAYS function in Excel determines the number of days between two specified dates. It's represented as "=DAYS(end_date, start_date)." In this function, the end date is input first, followed by the start date. Once the two dates are input and you hit enter, the function provides an integer indicating the days that span between the two given dates.
This formula will not include the end date in the calculation, so it is important to make sure that the number the formula is returning, is the one you're looking for.
For example, a start date of 8/28 and end date of 8/31, will return 3 days. If you want to include the last date, you would need to add a " + 1" on the end of the formula to get this complete formula:
= DAYS(end_date, start_date) + 1Example
How to Calculate the Number of Days Between Dates
Let's say you have a list of start and end dates, and want to calculate the number of days that fall between the dates. We can use the following steps:
1. Enter the formula:
Click on cell C2 (or any other empty cell where you want the result).
Type the formula:
=DAYS(B2, A1)2. Press Enter: After pressing Enter, cell C3 will display the number of days between the dates.
3. For inclusive count: If you want to count both the start and end dates, modify the formula in C2 to:
=DAYS(B2, A2) + 1Press Enter, and C3 will now display the days in-between the two dates, with both of the dates being inclusive.
That's it! With the DAYS function, Excel makes it straightforward to calculate the difference between two dates.