When working with dates in Excel, one of the most useful functions is NETWORKDAYS. It helps calculate the number of working days between two dates while excluding weekends and optionally taking holidays into account. This makes it an essential tool for project management, HR, finance, and any situation where business days need to be accurately counted.
What is the NETWORKDAYS function?
The NETWORKDAYS function in Excel is designed to calculate the number of working days between a start date and an end date, automatically excluding weekends (Saturday and Sunday). Optionally, you can specify additional holidays to be excluded from the count.
The syntax for NETWORKDAYS is:
=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])- start_date – The beginning date of the period.
- end_date – The end date of the period.
- [holidays] – An optional range of dates that should be excluded (such as public holidays).
Basic Example: Counting Business Days
Let’s say you have a project starting on January 1, 2024, and ending on January 15, 2024. You want to know how many working days are within this period.
=NETWORKDAYS("2024-01-01", "2024-01-15")This formula will return 11, assuming no additional holidays are specified.
Using NETWORKDAYS with Holidays
In many cases, weekends alone are not enough to exclude, especially when public holidays exist. Consider a scenario where January 1st is a public holiday.
| Date | Holiday Name |
|---|---|
| 2024-01-01 | New Year’s Day |
The formula incorporating this holiday would be:
=NETWORKDAYS("2024-01-01", "2024-01-15", A2:A2)This would now return 10 working days instead of 11, because January 1st is excluded.
Advanced Usage: Dynamic Date Ranges
Sometimes, you may not want to hardcode the dates in the formula but instead reference them dynamically from cells. Assuming:
- Cell A1 contains the start date
- Cell B1 contains the end date
- Cells D1:D3 contain holiday dates
The formula would be:
=NETWORKDAYS(A1, B1, D1:D3)NETWORKDAYS vs NETWORKDAYS.INTL
While NETWORKDAYS is powerful, it assumes that weekends are always Saturday and Sunday. If you need more flexibility, you should use NETWORKDAYS.INTL, which allows customizing which days are considered weekends.
Example of setting Friday and Saturday as weekends:
=NETWORKDAYS.INTL("2024-01-01", "2024-01-15", 7)The third argument (7) specifies that Friday and Saturday are non-working days.
Common Errors and Troubleshooting
Here are some common errors you might encounter when using NETWORKDAYS:
- #VALUE! – Occurs if any arguments are not valid dates.
- Incorrect Results – Ensure your holiday list includes only valid date values.
- Weekend Differences – If you’re dealing with countries that don’t follow the Saturday-Sunday weekend convention, consider using NETWORKDAYS.INTL instead.
Why Use NETWORKDAYS?
NETWORKDAYS is an invaluable function when working with timelines in Excel. Here’s why:
- It simplifies workday calculations without requiring manual date counting.
- It automatically excludes weekends, saving time and effort.
- It allows custom holiday lists for more accurate results.
- It works alongside other Excel functions for more advanced automation.
By mastering NETWORKDAYS, you can improve project tracking, payroll calculations, service-level agreements, and more. Whether you’re managing deadlines or ensuring accurate holiday adjustments, this function can significantly enhance your efficiency.
Other interesting article:
How WORKDAY works in Excel? Best WORKDAY examples