NETWORKDAYS: count workdays, not calendar days
A ten-day lead time means something different if weekends do not count. NETWORKDAYS handles the basic Monday-to-Friday rule and can account for a holiday list.
Formula syntax
=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])
What goes into it
start_date
First date in the interval.
end_date
Last date in the interval.
holidays
Optional range of dates to exclude in addition to weekends.
A quick example first
=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,Holidays!A:A)
Counts weekdays between A2 and B2 excluding listed holidays.
=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(2026,9,1),DATE(2026,9,30))
Counts standard Monday–Friday workdays in September 2026.
Count business days with an explicit holiday list
Enter =DATE(2026,9,14) in A2, =DATE(2026,9,18) in B2 and =DATE(2026,9,16) in H2. H2 is an invented company holiday for this exercise, not a claim about a public holiday.
| Cell | Role | Value |
|---|---|---|
| A2 | Start | Monday 14 September 2026 |
| B2 | End | Friday 18 September 2026 |
| H2 | Excluded company holiday | Wednesday 16 September 2026 |
| Formula | Expected result / interpretation |
|---|---|
| =NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2) | 5 |
| =NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,$H$2:$H$2) | 4 |
| =NETWORKDAYS(A2,A2) | 1 — an eligible start/end day is counted |
NETWORKDAYS counts eligible days at both ends of the interval. It removes Saturday and Sunday by default, then excludes supplied holidays. It does not download local holidays. The same-day result is therefore 1 for a weekday that is not excluded, rather than an elapsed duration of zero.
Before you copy this into a real sheet
Use NETWORKDAYS.INTL when the weekend pattern differs. Decide whether your deadline rule includes the opening day before using this count. Enter holidays as actual date values, not labels, and maintain them for the reporting period. The function counts days rather than work hours, lunch breaks or shift capacity. A four-day result is not evidence of 32 working hours unless your own schedule defines eight hours per counted day.
Useful habits
- Use NETWORKDAYS.INTL when weekends are not Saturday/Sunday.
- Holiday cells must contain real date values.
- Confirm whether your business rule counts both start and end dates.
Where people get caught out
- Supplying holiday labels or text dates instead of real date values.
- Using NETWORKDAYS when the organization has a nonstandard weekend pattern.
Other functions worth a look
A detail worth remembering
Agree on which weekends and holidays apply before interpreting the result. Different teams may work to different calendars.
Reference and examples
The examples above use small, invented datasets and English-language formula names. Check your Excel version and argument separator against the official Excel function reference if a formula behaves differently on your computer.