Business Days Calculator
Choose a mode - count working days between two dates, add business days to a start date, or subtract them. The calculator skips weekends and any custom holidays you enter, then shows a full breakdown of total days, weekends excluded and holidays excluded. Switch your workweek to Mon-Fri, Mon-Sat, or all seven days.
What are business days?
A business day is any day the working world is open: typically Monday through Friday, excluding weekends and public holidays. Banks, courts, government agencies and most companies measure turnaround times in business days rather than calendar days because work cannot happen on non-working days. A "10 business day" shipping estimate, for example, means 10 actual weekdays, which can span two to three calendar weeks depending on how many weekends fall in between.
How to count business days between two dates
The direct method is to list every day from the start date to the end date, inclusive, and cross off any that fall on Saturday or Sunday (for a standard Monday-Friday workweek). Then cross off any public or company holidays that also fall on a weekday. What remains is the business day count. This calculator automates that process so you can do it instantly for any period. If you work a six-day week (Monday to Saturday), switch the workweek setting to Mon-Sat and Sundays will be the only excluded weekend day.
How to add or subtract business days from a date
To find the date that is N business days from a starting point, step forward (or backward) one calendar day at a time and count only the days that fall on working days, skipping weekends and holidays. For example, adding 5 business days to a Monday gives the following Monday only if no holidays fall in that week; a holiday would push the end date one day further. The subtract mode works identically but steps backward, which is useful for calculating filing deadlines or notice periods that must be given a set number of working days before an event.
Custom holidays and workweek settings
Different countries, industries and companies have different non-working days. Enter any dates you want excluded in the custom holidays field, one per line in YYYY-MM-DD format. You can include national public holidays, local holidays, bridge days or company shut-down days. If your workplace runs a six-day week (Monday to Saturday), switch the workweek selector accordingly so Sundays are the only weekend day removed. Set it to "all 7 days" if you need a pure calendar-day count with only your explicit holidays excluded.
US Federal holidays 2026
| Date | Holiday | Day of week |
|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2026 | New Year's Day | Thursday |
| Jan 19, 2026 | Martin Luther King Jr. Day | Monday |
| Feb 16, 2026 | Presidents' Day | Monday |
| May 25, 2026 | Memorial Day | Monday |
| Jun 19, 2026 | Juneteenth National Independence Day | Friday |
| Jul 3, 2026 | Independence Day (observed) | Friday |
| Sep 7, 2026 | Labor Day | Monday |
| Oct 12, 2026 | Columbus Day | Monday |
| Nov 11, 2026 | Veterans Day | Wednesday |
| Nov 26, 2026 | Thanksgiving Day | Thursday |
| Dec 25, 2026 | Christmas Day | Friday |
Standard federal holidays observed in 2026. Add any you need to the custom holidays field above to exclude them from your count.
Frequently asked questions
Does this calculator include the start date in the count?
When you use "count between dates" mode, the start date is always included if it is a working day. The end date is included by default, but you can turn off the "include end date" toggle to exclude it. In add/subtract modes, the count starts the day after the start date, so day 1 is the first working day after your start.
How do I account for national holidays?
Enter the holiday dates in the "custom holidays to exclude" field, one per line in YYYY-MM-DD format. The reference table at the bottom lists all 2026 US federal holidays with their YYYY-MM-DD equivalents for easy copying. Holidays that fall on a weekend are typically observed on the adjacent Friday or Monday; enter the observed date rather than the nominal date for accurate results.
What is the difference between business days and working days?
The terms are usually interchangeable: both mean days when normal business is conducted, excluding weekends and public holidays. Some industries use "working days" to mean the days a particular operation is scheduled, which could include Saturdays. If your week includes Saturdays, switch the workweek setting to Mon-Sat.
How many business days are in a month or a year?
A typical month has about 20 to 23 business days depending on how many weekends it contains (28 to 31 calendar days minus 8 to 10 weekend days). A standard year has about 260 to 262 working days (52 weeks times 5 weekdays, adjusted for the number of weekend-straddling holidays). Use the count mode with a full-year date range to get the exact figure for any year.
Can I use this to calculate legal or court deadlines?
Yes. Many legal deadlines are expressed in business days (for example, "respond within 30 business days of service"). Enter the service date as the start and use add mode with the required number of business days. Add any court-observed holidays to the custom holidays field. Always verify with a qualified legal professional for deadlines that have legal consequences.
Why does adding 10 business days sometimes span 14 or more calendar days?
Because weekends fall inside the span. Ten business days always means 10 actual Mon-Fri days, but those 10 days are spread across at least two calendar weeks, adding 4 weekend days, so the calendar distance is at least 14 days. If a holiday also falls in the window, the calendar span grows by one more day for each holiday.