A days between dates calculator counts the number of days between two dates. You enter a start date and an end date, and the tool subtracts one from the other and shows the gap in days, weeks, months, years, hours and working days. The dates can be in any order, in the past or in the future.
The calculator gives you 3 main benefits: exact counts across leap years and months of different lengths, a choice between calendar days and business days, and the same span in 8 units, from seconds to years.
People use a days between dates calculator for 4 main jobs: contract and legal deadlines, invoices and billing periods, payroll and HR dates, and travel, study and health plans.
How to use our days between dates calculator
To use our days between dates calculator, pick a date in the From field, pick a second date in the To field and press Calculate days. The number of days between the two dates appears in the Results section.
- 1Open the From fieldClick the calendar icon or type the start date. Use the arrow keys to change the day, month and year.
- 2Fill in the To fieldChoose the end date. An earlier end date is fine: the calculator puts the dates in order.
- 3Include the end dateTurn on Include both start and end date to count both days.
- 4Pick the unitOpen More options and set Show result in to seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months or years.
- 5Press Calculate daysRead the total, then use Swap, Share link or Copy result.
How the Date Difference Is Calculated
The date difference is calculated by subtracting the start date from the end date. The calculator turns each date into a day number, takes the difference and then splits it into years, months and days. The result matches the Date Calculator and the Time and Date Duration tool on timeanddate.com, Omni Calculator (omnicalculator.com) and the date answers in Google.
July 4 to July 26. The outlined square is the start date, which the default count leaves out.
Counting a long span by hand
For a long span, count the full years first, then the months, then the days. Someone born on September 5th, 1970 was 18,901 days old on June 5th, 2022. The last full year ends in September 2021, since September 2022 had not arrived yet.
- Full years: September 5, 1970 to September 5, 2021 is 51 years. 51 × 365 days plus 13 leap days gives 18,628 days.
- Months: September 2021 to June 2022 is 9 months. September 5, 2021 to June 5, 2022 is 273 days.
- Total: 18,628 + 273 = 18,901 days, or 18,902 days with the end date included.
Fix the two ends
Every count needs a start and an end. The start day itself is never counted.
Count each midnight crossed
Each square that lights up is one midnight passed. That is one day.
Split it into weeks and workdays
14 weeks and 2 days · 71 weekdays and 29 weekend days.
Read the answer
There are 100 days between Oct 29, 2026 and Feb 6, 2027.
Days Between Dates: Calculation Examples
Here are 6 calculation examples, from a 22-day span in July to an age in days. Click any example to load the two dates into the calculator.
February 1 to March 1 is 28 days in 2025, a common year. Today to Christmas is 57 days, or 8 weeks and 1 day.
Calendar Days vs Business Days
Calendar days count every day; business days count Monday to Friday and skip public holidays. November 2026 has 30 calendar days and 19 business days in the United States: 9 days fall on weekends and 2 weekdays are federal holidays, Veterans Day (November 11) and Thanksgiving (November 26).
| Calendar days | Business days | |
|---|---|---|
| Weekends | Counted | Skipped |
| Public holidays | Counted | Skipped (optional) |
| Year 2026 | 365 days | 250 days (US) |
| Typical use | Ages, leases, countdowns | Payment terms, shipping, notice periods |
| Excel | =B2-A2 | =NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2) |
To calculate days between dates excluding weekends, open More options and set Show result in to Working days. Change Weekend days to Friday & Saturday for Saudi Arabia and other countries with a Friday–Saturday weekend, tick Skip US federal holidays, or type your own dates for excluding holiday weekends. In Excel, NETWORKDAYS counts both the start and end dates, and NETWORKDAYS.INTL takes a custom weekend.
Common Uses for a Days Between Dates Calculator
A days between dates calculator has 4 groups of common uses: contracts and legal deadlines, money and billing, work and HR, and travel, health and study.
A 14-day cooling-off window for a contract signed on November 3, 2026 closes on November 17, 2026.
An invoice issued on October 1, 2026 with net 30 terms is due on October 31, 2026.
A 90-day probation period that starts on March 2, 2026 ends on May 31, 2026.
A visa with 180 days of validity from June 1, 2026 runs until November 28, 2026.
Related Calculators
DaysAtHand has 3 related calculators, including a day counter, a countdown to any date and a date calculator that adds or subtracts days. This calculator covers 5 more jobs on its own through Show result in: a working days calculator, a months between two dates calculator, a years between two dates calculator, a time between dates calculator and a number of days calculator.
| You need a… | Use this |
|---|---|
| Day counter or birthday calculator | Days Since Calculator |
| Countdown to any date | Days Until Calculator |
| Date calculator, weekday calculator or week number calculator | Days From Today |
| Working days calculator | This calculator · Show result in: Working days |
| Months or years between two dates calculator | This calculator · Show result in: Months or Years |
| Time between dates calculator | This calculator · Show result in: Hours, Minutes or Seconds |
Count the days that have passed since any date.
Days Until CalculatorCount down the days to any date or holiday.
Days From TodayFind the date that is any number of days from today, or ago.
Developers who need business date math inside their own software can use API services for developers, such as the Date Calculator API from timeanddate.com.
FAQs
What happens if the start and end dates are the same?
The result is 0 days. The calculator counts the days after the start date, and none have passed. Turn on Include both start and end date to count that single day as 1 day.
Can the end date be earlier than the start date?
Yes. The calculator puts the two dates in order and shows a positive count, so March 10 to March 1 gives the same 9 days as March 1 to March 10. Press Swap to flip the From and To fields.
Do time zones or daylight saving changes affect the count?
No, time zones and daylight saving time (DST) do not change the count. The calculator works with calendar dates, not clock times, so a 23-hour or 25-hour day across daylight saving shifts still counts as 1 day.
Can I enter dates in US and international formats?
Yes. The date fields follow your browser's language settings, so US visitors see MM/DD/YYYY and most other countries see DD/MM/YYYY. Every date is stored in ISO 8601 format (YYYY-MM-DD), so 07/04/2026 in the US and 04/07/2026 in the UK point to the same day, July 4, 2026.
Does the calculation include the start and end dates?
The calculation includes the end date and leaves out the start date. July 4 to July 26 is 22 days. Turn on Include both start and end date to count both dates, which gives 23 days.
Can I calculate days since a past date or days until a future date?
Yes. Enter today in one field and the past or future date in the other. The Days Since Calculator and the Days Until Calculator fill in today for you and add a live seconds counter and milestones.
Does this calculator account for leap years?
Yes, the calculator counts every February 29 inside the date range. February 1 to March 1 is 29 days in 2024 and 28 days in 2025, and a full leap year has 366 days instead of 365.
Count the days between any two dates
The days between dates calculator shows how many days are there between two dates, with the end date included or not, in calendar days or business days, and in any unit from seconds to years.