Excel WORKDAY Function: Syntax, Examples and Tips

Part of the free Module 5: Excel Formulas and Functions · Function 100 of 105 · Full Excel course

The Excel WORKDAY function returns the date that is a given number of working days before or after a start date, skipping Saturdays, Sundays and any holidays you list. It answers the scheduling question “if we start on this date and need ten working days, when do we finish?” and is the standard tool for deadlines, delivery promises and project plans.

Table of Contents

Syntax

=WORKDAY(start_date, days, [holidays])

Arguments

Argument	Required / Optional	Meaning
start_date	Required	The date to count from, as a real date. The start date itself is not counted.
days	Required	Number of working days to move. Positive values move forward, negative values move back. Decimals are truncated.
holidays	Optional	A range or array of dates to skip in addition to weekends.

How WORKDAY works

WORKDAY steps forward (or back) one calendar day at a time, counting only Monday to Friday dates that are not in the holiday list, until it has counted the requested number of days. Starting on Thursday 3 September 2026, =WORKDAY(A2,1) returns Friday 4 September and =WORKDAY(A2,2) returns Monday 7 September because the weekend is skipped. The start date is never counted, so WORKDAY(A2,0) returns the start date even if it is a Saturday. The result is a serial number that needs a date format. Invalid dates return #VALUE!.

Step-by-step example: project task end dates

Enter the project start date in A2 (for example 1 September 2026) and task durations in working days in column B. List company holidays in E2:E10.
In C2 enter =WORKDAY(A2,B2,$E$2:$E$10). For a 10-day task the result is 15 September 2026.
In A3 enter =C2 so the next task starts when the previous one ends, then copy C2 down.
Apply a date format to columns A and C. Change a duration in column B and the whole schedule shifts automatically.

Practical use cases

1. Delivery promise date

=WORKDAY(OrderDate,5,Holidays)

2. Latest start date to meet a deadline

=WORKDAY(Deadline,-Duration,Holidays)

A negative days value counts backwards.

3. Next working day (skip a weekend start)

=WORKDAY(A2-1,1,Holidays)

Returns A2 itself when it is a working day, otherwise the next working day.

4. Previous working day

=WORKDAY(A2,-1,Holidays)

5. Payroll date: third working day of next month

=WORKDAY(EOMONTH(A2,0),3,Holidays)

Common mistakes and tips

Counting the start date: WORKDAY excludes it. If your rule counts the start day as day 1, use days-1.
Relative holiday reference: lock the range with $ signs or a named range, or copied formulas will point at the wrong cells.
Text holidays: dates stored as text are ignored silently, which produces schedules that are too short.
Different weekends: WORKDAY always skips Saturday and Sunday. For other patterns use WORKDAY.INTL.
Result shows a number: apply a date format.

WORKDAY compared with WORKDAY.INTL, NETWORKDAYS and EDATE

WORKDAY.INTL is the same function with a weekend argument, so it covers Friday-Saturday weekends, Sunday-only rest days and any custom pattern; if your organisation works a standard week, plain WORKDAY is shorter and clearer. NETWORKDAYS is the inverse operation: it takes two dates and returns the number of working days between them, whereas WORKDAY takes one date and a number of days and returns the other date. The two are often used together to check a schedule: NETWORKDAYS(start, WORKDAY(start,n)) equals n+1 when the start date is a working day. EDATE moves in calendar months rather than working days, which is right for contract anniversaries but not for effort-based planning. Keep the holiday list on a dedicated sheet as a named range so every scheduling formula shares it.