Business Days Calculator
Count the working days between two dates, excluding weekends and, optionally, the eleven US federal holidays, with a full day breakdown.
Business days
21
Calendar days
30
Weekend days
8
Holidays
1
Business days
21
The start date counts as day zero; counting runs from the next day through the end date inclusive. Weekends are Saturday and Sunday. The eleven US federal holidays are computed for every year in the range, including the observed shift when a fixed-date holiday falls on a weekend (Saturday → Friday, Sunday → Monday). State, local and company holidays are not included.
Counting working days between two dates
A business day is a weekday that is not a public holiday. Contracts, shipping estimates, payment terms and statutory deadlines are almost always written in business days rather than calendar days, because offices, banks and courts are closed on weekends and holidays. This calculator walks the range day by day, skipping Saturdays and Sundays and — optionally — US federal holidays.
The counting convention matters. Here the start date is day zero and counting begins the following day, running through the end date inclusive. So "5 business days from Monday" lands on the following Monday, not the Friday. This is the most common reading of "within X business days", but always check the wording of the agreement you are working from — some define the deadline as the Xth business day counting the start day itself.
The eleven US federal holidays are calculated for each year in the range rather than looked up from a fixed list, so the tool stays correct for past and future dates. Floating holidays are derived from their rule — Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November, Memorial Day the last Monday of May, and so on. Fixed-date holidays use the federal observed rule: a Saturday holiday is observed on the preceding Friday, a Sunday holiday on the following Monday, and the observed day is the one excluded.
What is not included: state and municipal holidays, common half-days like Christmas Eve or the day after Thanksgiving, religious observances, and company-specific floating days. These vary too much to build in. For non-US use, keep the weekend exclusion and turn the holiday option off, then adjust for your local public holidays. The tool also reports total calendar days, weekend days and holiday days so you can see how the range breaks down.
All date logic runs in your browser with no timezone drift — dates are treated as calendar dates at local midnight. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Key formulas (reference)
for each day d from (start + 1) through end: if d is Saturday or Sunday → weekend day else if d is an observed holiday → holiday day else → business day US federal holiday observed shift: Sat → Fri, Sun → Mon
Related tools
These free tools pair well with this page — open them in a new tab to finish your workflow.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a business day?
Any day that is not a Saturday or Sunday, and — if you enable the option — not a US federal holiday. Business days are also called working days or weekdays.
Is the start date included in the count?
No. The start date is treated as day zero and counting begins the next day, running through the end date inclusive. This matches how notice periods and "X business days from" deadlines are usually written. If you need the start day counted, add one.
Which holidays does it use?
The eleven US federal holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday (Presidents’ Day), Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. They are computed for every year in your date range.
How are holidays that fall on a weekend handled?
Fixed-date holidays use the federal "observed" rule: if the date lands on a Saturday it is observed on the preceding Friday, and if it lands on a Sunday it is observed on the following Monday. The calculator excludes the observed day.
Does it cover state, local or company holidays?
No. Only US federal holidays are built in. Day-after-Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, state holidays and company floating days vary too much to include, so add or subtract those manually for your situation.
Can I use it for countries other than the US?
The weekend exclusion (Saturday and Sunday) applies anywhere those are the weekend. The holiday option is US-specific, so for other countries leave it off and adjust for local public holidays yourself.
Why does the result differ from a simple day count divided by 7 times 5?
That shortcut assumes the range starts and ends on the same weekday and contains no holidays. Real ranges have partial weeks at each end, so an exact day-by-day count — which this tool does — is the only reliable method.