Business days calculator
Pick a start and end date to count the working days between them. Weekends and public holidays are left out, and every holiday in the range is listed so you can check the count.
Quick ranges
Both dates count, so Monday to Friday is 5 working days. That’s how “working days in October” is meant (October 1 through 31), so it’s on by default for business days.
Leaves out Saturdays, Sundays and the public holidays you choose.
- Nothing is uploaded
- Free, no sign-up
- Works on phone and desktop
How to count business days between two dates
- 1
Pick the first and last day of the period, or tap a quick range such as This month.
- 2
Choose the holidays to skip: US federal holidays, bank holidays in England and Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, or weekends only.
- 3
Leave Include the end date on to count both ends, the way "working days in October" is meant. Turn it off to count a duration instead.
- 4
Read the number of working days, then check the list of holidays left out against your own employer’s calendar.
Features
Four holiday calendars
US federal holidays with their observed days, plus bank holidays for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Every holiday listed
See exactly which holidays were left out and on which date, so you can match the count to your own calendar.
Both ends counted
The first and last day both count by default, like Excel’s NETWORKDAYS. One switch turns it into a duration.
Quick ranges
This month, next month, the rest of the year or all of next year, in one tap.
How working days are counted
A business day, or working day, is a weekday that isn't a public holiday. To count them, the calculator walks through every date from the start to the end, leaves out Saturdays and Sundays, and then leaves out the holidays of the calendar you choose. Both the first and last day count by default, so a whole month gives you that month's working days.
Take October 2026. It has 31 days, 9 of them on a Saturday or Sunday, which leaves 22 weekdays. With US federal holidays, Columbus Day on Monday, October 12 comes out too, for 21 business days. England and Wales have no bank holiday in October, so it stays at 22.
If you need a duration instead, like the working days left between today and a deadline, turn off "Include the end date". The end date is then not counted, so Monday to Friday is 4 working days instead of 5.
Working days in 2027, month by month
| Month | Mon–Fri | US federal | England & Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 21 | 19 | 20 |
| February | 20 | 19 | 20 |
| March | 23 | 23 | 21 |
| April | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| May | 21 | 20 | 19 |
| June | 22 | 21 | 22 |
| July | 22 | 21 | 22 |
| August | 22 | 22 | 21 |
| September | 22 | 21 | 22 |
| October | 21 | 20 | 21 |
| November | 22 | 20 | 22 |
| December | 23 | 21 | 21 |
| Total | 261 | 249 | 253 |
The US column for December includes Fri, Dec 31, 2027 as a day off: New Year's Day 2028 falls on a Saturday, so it's observed on the Friday before. That's why 2027 has 12 federal days off rather than 11. For Scotland or Northern Ireland, choose that calendar in the tool.
US federal holidays
The United States has 11 federal holidays, set by law in 5 U.S.C. 6103. When one falls on a Saturday, federal workers get the Friday before off; when it falls on a Sunday, they get the Monday after. The calculator uses those observed days.
| Holiday | Rule | Day off in 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1 | Fri, Jan 1 |
| Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Third Monday in January | Mon, Jan 18 |
| Washington's Birthday (Presidents' Day) | Third Monday in February | Mon, Feb 15 |
| Memorial Day | Last Monday in May | Mon, May 31 |
| Juneteenth | June 19 (since 2021) | Fri, Jun 18 |
| Independence Day | July 4 | Mon, Jul 5 |
| Labor Day | First Monday in September | Mon, Sep 6 |
| Columbus Day | Second Monday in October | Mon, Oct 11 |
| Veterans Day | November 11 | Thu, Nov 11 |
| Thanksgiving Day | Fourth Thursday in November | Thu, Nov 25 |
| Christmas Day | December 25 | Fri, Dec 24 |
Federal holidays are the days federal offices close. Private employers aren't required to give them off: the Department of Labor points out that the Fair Labor Standards Act doesn't require pay for time not worked, such as holidays. One-off closures, like an extra day off at Christmas given by executive order, aren't included either. If your employer's list is different, choose "weekends only" and take off your own holidays.
UK bank holidays
England and Wales have 8 bank holidays: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, the early May and spring bank holidays, the summer bank holiday at the end of August, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Scotland has 9: it adds January 2 and St Andrew's Day (November 30), has no Easter Monday, and holds its summer bank holiday on the first Monday of August. Northern Ireland has 10, adding St Patrick's Day (March 17) and the Battle of the Boyne (July 12).
When a bank holiday falls on a weekend, a substitute weekday is given instead. In 2027, Christmas Day is a Saturday and Boxing Day a Sunday, so England and Wales get Mon, Dec 27, 2027 and Tue, Dec 28, 2027 off. In the UK, employers can count bank holidays as part of your 5.6 weeks of statutory annual leave, so check your contract to see whether you get them on top.
UK bank holiday dates for 2019 to 2028 come from the official list on GOV.UK and contain public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Later years follow the standing rules until the government announces them.
Where business days matter
- Response and notice deadlines: "within 10 business days" of November 2, 2026 is November 17, 2026, because Veterans Day is skipped. To find a date like that, turn on business days in the date calculator or use days from today.
- Day-rate work and invoices: at $400 a day, the 21 US business days of October 2026 come to $8,400.
- Shipping and processing times: "5 to 7 business days" leaves out weekends and holidays, so it often spans 7 to 9 calendar days or more.
- Legal deadlines: courts have their own counting rules. US federal courts, for example, count every calendar day under Rule 6 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure and only extend a deadline that lands on a weekend or legal holiday. Always check the rule that applies to you.
To count calendar days, weeks or months between two dates instead, use the days between dates calculator. For hours on a timesheet, try the time card calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many business days are in a month?
Usually 20 to 23 weekdays, minus any public holidays. October 2026 has 21 business days in the US (Columbus Day falls on October 12) and 22 in England and Wales, which has no bank holiday that month. December 2026 has 22 in the US and 21 in England and Wales.
How many working days are in a year?
2027 has 261 weekdays. Taking out US federal holidays leaves 249; taking out bank holidays in England and Wales leaves 253. Your own number depends on which holidays your employer gives and how much vacation you take.
Does the calculator count the start and end date?
Yes, both by default, because "working days in October" means October 1 through 31. Excel’s and Google Sheets’ NETWORKDAYS function counts the same way. Turn off "Include the end date" to count the days from one date up to the other instead, like a duration.
Are federal holidays business days?
Not for federal government offices, which close on all 11 federal holidays. Private employers set their own holiday calendars, and many stay open on some federal holidays, such as Columbus Day or Veterans Day. If your workplace follows a different list, choose "weekends only" and subtract your own days off.
Is Saturday a business day?
Not here. Business days are Monday to Friday, which is how most offices and government agencies in the US and UK count. Some contracts and carriers define business days differently, so check the terms if a deadline depends on it.
How do I count business days in Excel or Google Sheets?
Use =NETWORKDAYS(start, end, holidays), where holidays is a range of dates to skip. It counts both the start and end date. For weekends other than Saturday and Sunday, use NETWORKDAYS.INTL. The holidays this calculator lists can be typed straight into that range.
Which UK bank holidays are included?
England and Wales have 8 bank holidays a year, Scotland 9 and Northern Ireland 10. Scotland adds January 2 and St Andrew’s Day and has no Easter Monday; Northern Ireland adds St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne. One-off holidays, like the bank holiday for the coronation of King Charles III on May 8, 2023, come from GOV.UK’s official list.
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