Business dates

Business days calculator

Count working days between two dates, with optional country holiday exclusions.

Frequently asked questions

What is a business day?
A business day is usually Monday through Friday, excluding weekends and holidays selected in the calculator.
Can I exclude public holidays?
Yes. Choose a country holiday calendar to exclude listed holidays that fall inside the date range.
Can I include Saturdays?
Yes. Use the Count Saturdays option if your business or country treats Saturday as a workday.

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What is a Business Day?

A business day generally refers to any day of the week on which normal business operations are conducted. In Western countries, this is typically Monday through Friday, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM local time. Weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and public holidays are traditionally excluded.

Why is calculating business days important?

Counting business days accurately is critical across many industries:

  • Contracts & Legal: Legal deadlines, grace periods, and contract clauses often specify timelines in "business days" rather than calendar days.
  • Shipping & Delivery: Couriers and postal services often provide transit time estimates in business days. If you order a package on Friday with "3 business day shipping", it likely won't arrive until Wednesday.
  • Finance & Banking: Stock market settlements (like the T+1 rule), check clearing times, and fund transfers only process on active banking days.
  • Project Management: When planning sprint timelines or estimating project completion, you must exclude weekends and team holidays to get a realistic delivery date.

How to use our Business Days Calculator

Our calculator simplifies the process of finding out exactly how many working days exist between two dates, or what date it will be a certain number of business days from now.

  1. Select your mode: Choose "Count days between dates" if you have a start and end date, or "Add/Subtract days" if you have a duration.
  2. Pick your dates: Use the calendar pickers to select your Start Date (and End Date if applicable).
  3. Configure your weekends: While Saturday and Sunday is standard in the US, UK, and Canada, countries like the UAE and Israel have different weekend structures. You can customize which days are considered weekends.
  4. Add Public Holidays (Optional): The calculator can automatically fetch and exclude public holidays for dozens of countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and India. Simply toggle "Exclude public holidays" and select your region.

Global differences in working days

When doing business internationally, it is important to remember that the standard Monday-Friday workweek is not universal:

  • Middle East: Many countries (such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Egypt) operate on a Sunday-Thursday workweek, observing Friday and Saturday as the weekend.
  • Israel: The workweek typically runs from Sunday through Thursday, or a half-day on Friday, with Saturday (Shabbat) strictly observed as a rest day.
  • Latin America & Asia: In several countries, including Mexico, India, and China, a 6-day workweek (Monday through Saturday) is still common for many industries, particularly manufacturing and retail.