How to count the days between two dates
- Choose a start date and an end date. The order does not matter — if the end is before the start, the result is shown as a negative number of days.
- Tick Include the end date if you want to count both the first and the last day (for example, a hotel stay or a leave application from the 1st to the 5th is often counted as 5 days).
- Choose which days are your weekend. Bangladesh and much of the Middle East use Friday–Saturday or Friday only; most other countries use Saturday–Sunday.
- Read the total days, the breakdown into years, months and days, the number of weeks and the number of working days.
Adding or subtracting days from a date
The second part of the tool answers questions like “What date is 90 days from today?” or “What was the date 45 days ago?”. Enter the starting date, choose add or subtract, and enter the number of days. This is handy for visa validity, notice periods, payment terms (“net 30”), delivery estimates, medicine courses and pregnancy due dates.
How the calculation works
The tool converts both dates to a day number using UTC so that daylight-saving changes never add or remove an hour. The difference between the two day numbers is the number of days. The years–months–days breakdown is counted like a calendar, the same way the age calculator works.
Working days
Working days are all days that are not one of your selected weekend days. Public holidays are not removed automatically because they vary by country, region and year — subtract them yourself if you need an exact figure for payroll or legal deadlines.
Inclusive vs. exclusive counting
There are two ways to count days, and both are correct in different situations:
| Question | Counting | 1 to 5 March |
|---|---|---|
| How many days until an event? How long between two dates? | Exclusive (default) | 4 days |
| How many days did I stay / work / take leave? | Inclusive (tick the box) | 5 days |
Useful facts about the calendar
- A common year has 365 days; a leap year has 366. Leap years are divisible by 4, except century years that are not divisible by 400 (so 2000 was a leap year, 2100 will not be).
- The average month in the Gregorian calendar is 30.44 days, which is the figure used for the “months (approx.)” value.
- A year contains 52 weeks and 1 day (or 2 days in a leap year).
Frequently asked questions
How many days are there between two dates?
Enter both dates above. The result is the number of full days from the start date to the end date. Tick “include the end date” to count both days.
Does the calculator count weekends?
The total includes every day. The working-days figure excludes the weekend days you select, so you can match your country’s working week.
Are public holidays excluded?
No. Holidays differ by country and year, so subtract them manually from the working-days figure if needed.
How do I find the date 30 days from today?
Use the “Add or subtract days” section: leave the date as today, choose Add and enter 30.
Does it handle leap years?
Yes. Leap days are counted automatically in every calculation.