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NETWORKDAYS Function

Excel 2007+

Summary

The Excel NETWORKDAYS function calculates the number of working days between two dates, automatically excluding weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and any specified holidays. Perfect for project planning, employee tenure calculations, and business day counting.

Syntax

NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
start_date	`Date`	Yes	Start date for workday calculation - use DATE function for reliability
end_date	`Date`	Yes	End date for workday calculation
holidays	`Date Range/Array`	No	Optional: Cell range or array of holiday dates to exclude from count

Using the NETWORKDAYS Function

NETWORKDAYS is invaluable for business applications requiring accurate workday counts. Use it to calculate project timelines excluding weekends/holidays, determine employee accrual periods, or track service days between contract dates. Always use DATE functions for inputs to avoid text parsing issues.

Common NETWORKDAYS Examples

Basic Workday Count

=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(2023,1,1), DATE(2023,1,31))

Counts workdays in January 2023 (excludes weekends only) - returns 21

With Single Holiday

=NETWORKDAYS(A2,A3,A5)

Counts workdays between dates in A2:A3, excluding holiday date in A5

Multiple Holidays Range

=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(2012,10,1), DATE(2013,3,1), A6:A8)

Counts 107 workdays excluding 3 specified holidays (matches Microsoft example)

Frequently Asked Questions

By default, Saturday and Sunday. Use NETWORKDAYS.INTL for custom weekend definitions.

Yes, but they're still excluded if listed - no double-counting occurs.

Dates must be valid Excel dates. Use DATE() function instead of text dates.

Common Errors and Solutions

#VALUE! Error

Cause: Invalid date arguments or text instead of dates

Solution: Wrap dates with DATE(year,month,day) or ensure cells are formatted as dates

Incorrect workday count

Cause: Holidays entered as text or wrong date format

Solution: Verify holiday dates use proper Excel date serial numbers

Missing holidays parameter

Cause: Expecting optional parameter incorrectly

Solution: Holidays argument is optional - omit entirely if not needed

Notes

Dates stored as serial numbers (Jan 1, 1900 = 1)
Works with date functions like TODAY(), DATE(), EDATE()
For international weekend patterns, use NETWORKDAYS.INTL
Holidays can be cell range (A1:A10) or array {DATE(2023,1,1),DATE(2023,12,25)}

Compatibility

Available in: Excel 2007, Excel 2010, Excel 2013, Excel 2016, Excel 2019, Excel 2021, Microsoft 365

Not available in: Excel 2003, Excel XP, Excel 2000, Excel 97

Content last reviewed: December 9, 2025
Update frequency: As needed
Excel versions tested: Excel 2007+