NETWORKDAYS
Counts the working days between two dates, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays: project timelines, an employee's working days.
NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])- [ ]optional part
- start_date
- The first day of the period.
- end_date
- The last day of the period. It counts too.
- holidays
- Optional. A range with the dates of days off, for example $F$2:$F$3.Optional
Return value
The number of working days between the dates, counting both. Saturdays, Sundays and dates from the holiday list don't count.
Examples
Working days per project stage
fx
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
1
2
3
4
5
6
Stage
Start
End
Working days
Holidays
Requirements
01.10.2026
14.10.2026
03.11.2026
Development
15.10.2026
13.11.2026
25.12.2026
Testing
16.11.2026
27.11.2026
Sheet1
Details
NETWORKDAYS counts days from Monday through Friday. Both ends are included: Monday through Friday of the same week gives 5.
Excel doesn't know your holidays. List them as dates in a separate range and pass it as the third argument. Lock the range with $ signs so it doesn't shift when you fill the formula down.
For this function the weekend is always Saturday and Sunday. If your team works a different schedule, the count won't match it.
Common mistakes
- Expecting the difference without one of the ends. NETWORKDAYS includes both the first and the last day.
- Without $ signs the holiday range shifts when you fill down.