Business Days Calculator
Count weekdays between two dates while excluding Saturdays and Sundays.
Results are provided for general informational use. Verify important financial, health or legal figures before relying on them.
About this Business Days Calculator
The Business Days Calculator counts weekdays in a date range and excludes Saturdays and Sundays. It is useful for rough delivery, work and administrative timelines when a simple Monday-to-Friday calendar is sufficient.
Payment terms, shipping estimates and legal deadlines are frequently specified in business days rather than calendar days specifically because weekends don't count toward the countdown, making this a genuinely different calculation from simply counting days on a calendar.
For related tasks, try Date Difference Calculator, Add Days to Date or Work Hours Calculator.
How the calculation works
The tool checks each calendar date in the inclusive range and counts Monday through Friday. It does not know national, regional or company holidays, so those must be considered separately.
How to use it
- Choose a start date.
- Choose an end date.
- Calculate to count weekdays in the inclusive range.
Practical example
A Monday-through-Friday range in the same week contains five business days.
Counting business days from a Friday to the following Monday gives exactly 1 business day (just that Monday), since the intervening Saturday and Sunday don't count, even though 3 calendar days have passed in total.
Things to double-check
This calculator excludes Saturdays and Sundays by default but does not automatically know about public holidays specific to your country or region; for a deadline where a holiday falls within the range, manually add one extra business day for each such holiday.
What counts as a business day
This tool counts Monday to Friday and excludes Saturdays and Sundays. From Monday 5 October 2026, 10 business days ends on Monday 19 October, two calendar weeks later, while 10 calendar days would end on Thursday 15 October. A range from Monday to Friday of the same week contains five business days. Public holidays are not excluded, so subtract any holidays in the range yourself.
Delivery and payment estimates
Shipping times and bank processing are usually quoted in business days. A delivery estimate of 3 to 5 business days placed on a Friday starts counting on the next business day, so it may arrive during the following week. International transfers can take longer when holidays fall in either country. Use the calculator to turn a business day estimate into a calendar date you can plan around, and add a day or two if a holiday is likely.
Work, projects and contracts
Project plans and service agreements often use business days: a response within 2 business days, a review in 10 business days or a notice period in working days. Calendar day and business day deadlines can differ by several days over a month. The standard month has about 21 or 22 business days, and a year about 260. Check the contract's own definition of a business day, since some count Saturday or use a different weekend.
Different weekends and holidays
Not every country has a Saturday and Sunday weekend. Some use Friday and Saturday, and some have a six day working week. Public holidays also vary, and religious festivals move with the lunar calendar. If your range includes such days, remove them manually from the result. For payroll and legal deadlines rely on the official working day calendar published by the relevant authority or employer.
Counting working days in a range
To count the business days between two dates, count the weekdays inside the range. From Wednesday 7 October to Friday 30 October 2026, inclusive, there are 3 days in the first partial week and 5 in each of the next three weeks, so 18 business days. If the start day is not counted, the answer is 17. Subtract public holidays that fall on weekdays in the range, and check whether your agreement counts the first and last day.
Worked example: delivery estimates
An order placed on Thursday 8 October 2026 with a delivery promise of 5 business days arrives on Thursday 15 October, counting Friday 9, Monday 12, Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15. If the order is placed on Saturday, the count normally starts on Monday, so delivery would be the following Monday. The calculator does the same by skipping weekends. If a public holiday falls in the period, add a day for each one, since the tool does not know the holidays of your country or the courier's.
Allowing for public holidays
Public holidays differ between countries and sometimes between regions, and religious festivals move from year to year. A period of 10 business days that includes two weekday holidays contains only 8 normal working days, so it effectively needs 12 business days to complete. Keep a list of the holidays that affect you, such as those of your country, your supplier's country and any bank holidays. When you plan a deadline close to a holiday, add buffer days, and confirm with the other party how they count them.
How many business days in a month or year
A typical month has 20 to 23 weekdays. The year 2026 has 365 days and starts on a Thursday, which gives 52 full weeks plus one extra Thursday, so 261 weekdays. After subtracting public holidays and leave, an employee may work around 220 to 240 days. These totals help with capacity planning, estimating how many projects a team can finish and converting between daily and yearly rates. Use the calculator to count business days between any two dates, and subtract holidays yourself.
Contracts, service levels and bank transfers
Many agreements promise a response or a payment within a number of business days. Check when the clock starts, since it often begins on the day after a request is received, and whether a cut-off time applies, such as 3 pm for same-day processing. Bank transfers may take longer when the sending and receiving countries have different holidays. Time zones can also change what counts as the same day. Write the expected date in your calendar as soon as you place an order or make a request, so that you can follow up if it has not arrived.
Key terms explained
A business day is a day on which normal work takes place, usually Monday to Friday. A public holiday is a day off set by law or custom, and a bank holiday is a day when banks are closed. A weekend is the days off each week, which differ by country. Working days and weekdays are often used with the same meaning. A cut-off time is the hour after which a request counts as made on the next business day. Turnaround time is the time promised to complete a task.
Rules of thumb and quick checks
Five business days is one calendar week, and ten is two. A year has about 260 weekdays, and about 250 after typical public holidays. A month has 20 to 23. When a period contains a weekend, add two calendar days for every five business days. Subtract any public holidays that fall on weekdays in the range, and confirm how the other party counts, since some organisations include Saturday.
Frequently asked questions
Are public holidays excluded?
No. Only Saturdays and Sundays are excluded.
Is the start date counted?
Yes, when it falls on a weekday.
Can I enter the dates in reverse order?
Yes. The tool handles either order.
Does this calculator account for public holidays?
No, it excludes only Saturdays and Sundays; for a range that includes a public holiday, manually add extra days to account for each holiday that falls within your date range.
Why is my business-day count different from simply dividing calendar days by 7 and multiplying by 5?
That approximation only works for exact multiples of a full week; for partial weeks at the start or end of the range, the exact days of the week involved change the precise count.
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