How to Calculate Business Days in Google Sheets

Google Sheets supports the same business day functions as Excel: NETWORKDAYS for counting business days between two dates, and WORKDAY for finding a date a set number of business days in the future. The syntax is identical, and both functions handle weekends automatically.

Counting Business Days: NETWORKDAYS

NETWORKDAYS returns the number of working days between a start date and end date, including both endpoints.

=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])

Example: If A2 contains an invoice date and B2 contains today's date, this formula counts the business days elapsed:

=NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2)

To subtract holidays, add the range containing your holiday dates as the third argument:

=NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, E2:E12)

If you want to exclude the start date from the count, offset it by one day:

=NETWORKDAYS(A2+1, B2, E2:E12)

Calculating a Due Date: WORKDAY

WORKDAY takes a start date and a number of business days, and returns the date that falls exactly that many business days later, skipping weekends and any holidays you specify.

=WORKDAY(start_date, days, [holidays])

Example: To find the Net 30 due date from the invoice date in A2, excluding US federal holidays listed in column E:

=WORKDAY(A2, 30, $E$2:$E$12)

The result is a date serial number. If the cell shows a number instead of a date, format it: Format, Number, Date.

For payment term calculations using calendar days rather than business days, see the Net 30 Calculator, which handles both counting modes.

Setting Up a Holiday List

Create a dedicated sheet or a column for your holiday dates. Enter each holiday as a properly formatted date, one per row. Label the column and freeze it if you like, but the function only needs the range reference.

To reference a holiday list on a separate sheet named "Holidays":

=NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, Holidays!A2:A12)

Use absolute references ($E$2:$E$12) when copying the formula across many rows so the holiday range does not shift.

Custom Weekend Patterns: NETWORKDAYS.INTL

For non-standard work weeks, use NETWORKDAYS.INTL. The third argument is a weekend code: either a number (1 = Saturday/Sunday, the default) or a 7-character string where each position represents Monday through Sunday, with 1 meaning non-working.

Friday-Saturday weekend: "0000110"

=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A2, B2, "0000110", E2:E12)

WORKDAY.INTL works the same way for due date calculations with custom weekends.

Practical Tips for Shared Sheets

When multiple people use the same sheet, lock the holiday range so it cannot be accidentally edited. Protect the range via Data, Protect Sheets and Ranges. Use a named range for clarity: select the holiday cells, then Data, Named Ranges, and give it a name like USHolidays2026. The formula becomes:

=NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, USHolidays2026)

This makes the formula self-documenting and easier to update when you add the following year's holidays.

FAQ

Are the business day formulas in Google Sheets the same as Excel?

Yes. Google Sheets supports NETWORKDAYS, NETWORKDAYS.INTL, WORKDAY, and WORKDAY.INTL with the same syntax as Excel. Formulas written in one will generally work in the other.

Does NETWORKDAYS in Google Sheets count the start date?

Yes, NETWORKDAYS counts both the start date and the end date as business days if they fall on weekdays. To exclude the start date from the count, use =NETWORKDAYS(A1+1, B1).

Can I use NETWORKDAYS across multiple sheets?

Yes. Reference a holiday list on another sheet using the format SheetName!A1:A20 as the holidays argument. For example: =NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2, Holidays!A2:A12).