Quick Answer

NETWORKDAYS Function

Counts workdays between two dates.

Syntax

NETWORKDAYS

(start_date, end_date, [holidays])

Parameters

Parameter	Description	Required
start_date	The first date of the period.	Required
end_date	The last date of the period. Both start and end dates are counted.	Required
holidays	Optional range or array of dates to exclude as non-working days.	Optional

Basic Example

Workdays in January 2024

=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(2024, 1, 1), DATE(2024, 1, 31))

Result23

January 2024 has 31 days; after removing the 4 Saturdays and 4 Sundays, 23 weekdays remain. Both endpoints are included.

Advanced Examples

Example 1: Excluding a holiday

Counting workdays with one mid-month holiday

The holiday reduces the count by one

=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(2024, 1, 1), DATE(2024, 1, 31), {"2024-01-15"})

Result: 22

Jan 15 2024 is a Monday workday, so removing it leaves 22 workdays.

Example 2: Reversed dates give a negative count

Accidentally swapping start and end

When start is after end, the result is negative

=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(2024, 1, 31), DATE(2024, 1, 1))

Result: -23

With the start later than the end, NETWORKDAYS returns the negative of the count, here -23.

How NETWORKDAYS Works

NETWORKDAYS counts every day from start_date through end_date, subtracts Saturdays and Sundays, and then subtracts any dates found in the holidays list. Both endpoints are included in the count.

1

Enter the start and end dates

Supply the period boundaries as date serials.

2

Optionally list holidays

Pass a range or array of holiday dates to exclude.

3

Read the workday count

The function returns an integer.

Important Notes & Limitations

Only Saturday and Sunday weekends are supported; use NETWORKDAYS.INTL for custom weekend days.
Both endpoints are counted, which differs from WORKDAY's behavior.
If start_date is after end_date, the result is negative.