DATE
Builds a real date from a year, month and day when they are in separate cells or needed inside a formula.
DATE(year, month, day)- year
- The year in four digits, for example 2026.
- month
- The month number from 1 to 12, where 1 is January.
- day
- The day of the month from 1 to 31.
Return value
The date from the year, month and day. Extra months and days carry over: =DATE(2026,13,1) gives 1/1/2027.
Examples
Date from three columns
fx
A
B
C
D
E
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Year
Month
Day
Date
2026
3
15
2026
7
1
2026
12
31
2027
1
10
Sheet1
Details
DATE takes three numbers and returns a date you can calculate with: compare, subtract, sort.
The function is handy when the year, month and day come in separate columns. It's also used inside formulas so you don't have to write the date as text: =DATE(2026,12,31).
DATE carries extra months and days over by itself. Month 13 becomes January of the next year, and day 0 gives the last day of the previous month.
Common mistakes
- A two-digit year: =DATE(26,1,1) won't give 2026. Write the full year.
- The arguments are in the wrong order. Year first, then month, then day.