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WORKDAY

The WORKDAY function returns a date that is a specified number of workdays (excluding weekends and holidays) away from a given start date. This function is useful for calculating a project deadline or delivery date. The function takes the start date and the number of workdays to add to the start date. Additionally, you can specify a range of holiday dates to exclude from the calculation.

Usage

Use the WORKDAY formula with the syntax shown below, it has 2 required parameters and 1 optional parameter:

=WORKDAY(start_date, num_days, [holidays])
Parameters:
  1. start_date (required):
    The start date from which to begin counting workdays.
  2. num_days (required):
    The number of workdays to add to the start date.
  3. holidays (optional):
    An optional range of dates to exclude from the calculation. This can be a single cell or a range of cells.

Examples

Here are a few example use cases that explain how to use the WORKDAY formula in Google Sheets.

Calculate project completion date

Use the WORKDAY function to calculate the date a project will be completed based on the start date and the number of workdays it will take to complete the project.

Determine delivery date

Use the WORKDAY function to determine the date a package will be delivered based on the date it was shipped and the expected number of workdays in transit.

Calculate payment due date

Use the WORKDAY function to calculate the due date for a payment based on the invoice date and the number of workdays until the payment is due.

Common Mistakes

WORKDAY not working? Here are some common mistakes people make when using the WORKDAY Google Sheets Formula:

Incorrect date format

The start_date argument must be a valid date in a format recognized by Google Sheets. Check that the date is correctly formatted and that the cell containing the date is not formatted as text.

Incorrect num_days value

The num_days argument must be a positive integer or a cell reference containing a positive integer. Check that the value provided is a number and that it represents the number of working days you want to add to the start_date.

Incorrect holidays range

The holidays argument is optional but if provided it must reference a range of cells containing valid dates. Check that the range provided is correct, that it contains only dates and that it does not include blank cells or text values.

Related Formulas

The following functions are similar to WORKDAY or are often used with it in a formula:

  • NETWORKDAYS

    The NETWORKDAYS function returns the number of working days between two given dates. This function excludes weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and optionally, any specified holidays. This function is commonly used in financial and business applications to calculate the number of workdays between two dates.

  • DATEDIF

    The DATEDIF function in Google Sheets calculates the difference between two dates using a specified unit of measurement. This function is commonly used to calculate the length of time between two dates, such as the number of days, months, or years. The function is particularly useful when working with financial or project planning data.

  • EDATE

    The EDATE function in Google Sheets returns a date that is a specified number of months before or after a specified date. It is most commonly used to calculate due dates for invoices, project deadlines, or loan repayments.

  • TODAY

    The TODAY function returns the current date in the default timezone of the spreadsheet. The date is updated each time the spreadsheet is opened. This function is commonly used to calculate the current age or to track the number of days since a certain event, among other things.

Learn More

You can learn more about the WORKDAY Google Sheets function on Google Support.