How to use the working Days Calculator
- Pick the start and end dates.
- Tick the days of the week that are days off. Saturday and Sunday are ticked by default; some countries have a Friday–Saturday weekend instead.
- Choose whether the end date itself should be counted.
- Optionally list public holidays or other days off, one per line in YYYY-MM-DD format. Holidays that fall on a weekend are only counted once.
- The result updates instantly as you type. There is no button to press.
- Use Copy result to copy the figures, or Copy link to share a link that reopens the working Days Calculator with the same inputs.
How it works
Many deadlines are measured in working days, also called business days, rather than calendar days: delivery estimates, notice periods, payment terms, legal response times, visa processing and project schedules. This calculator counts the days between two dates that are neither weekend days nor holidays.
It walks through every day in the range, checks the day of the week against the days off you have ticked, and checks the date against the holiday list you supply. Days that fall on a weekend are counted as weekend days, even if they are also holidays, so nothing is subtracted twice. Both the start date and, by default, the end date are counted, which matches how most people count a project's working days. Untick Count the end date to exclude it.
Public holidays differ by country, region and year, so the calculator doesn't guess them. Add your own from your government's or employer's calendar. If you work in a country with a Friday–Saturday weekend, such as several in the Middle East, tick Friday and untick Sunday.
Formula
As a quick check for a standard Monday–Friday week, every full week contributes exactly 5 working days, so 4 full weeks contain 20 working days before holidays.
Example
From Monday, December 1, 2025 to Wednesday, December 31, 2025, counting both ends, there are 31 calendar days. Eight of them fall on Saturdays and Sundays, leaving 23 weekdays. If December 25 and 26 are public holidays, both falling on weekdays that year, the result is 21 working days, or 168 working hours at 8 hours a day.
Frequently asked questions
Does it include public holidays automatically?
No. Holidays vary by country and region, so add yours in the holiday box, one date per line, in the format 2026-12-25.
Is the start date counted?
Yes, the start date is always counted if it is a working day. The end date is counted when 'Count the end date' is ticked.
How many working days are in a year?
A typical year has 260 or 261 Monday-to-Friday weekdays. After public holidays, most countries have roughly 250.