Business Days Calculator: Count Working Days Between Dates

Business days calculations are essential for project planning, contract deadlines, shipping estimates, and HR operations. Our Business Days Calculator counts the number of working days (Monday through Friday) between two dates, calculates a future date by adding a specific number of business days, and accounts for holidays. Whether you are planning a project timeline or calculating legal deadlines, this tool handles the complexity automatically.

How Business Day Calculations Work

Business days exclude weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and optionally holidays. The calculator uses the standard 5-day work week. To count business days between two dates, it calculates the total days, subtracts weekends, and optionally subtracts holidays. To add business days to a date, it skips weekend days and holidays.

Different countries and organizations observe different holidays. The calculator includes pre-loaded holiday sets for the US (federal holidays), UK, Canada, Australia, and India. You can also add custom holidays for your specific needs.

Using the Business Days Calculator

Select the mode: count business days between two dates, or add business days to a start date. Enter the dates and the number of business days (for addition mode). Choose your country or region for holiday inclusion. The calculator shows the result, a breakdown of weekends and holidays excluded, and a calendar view.

For project planning, enter a start date and the number of business days needed. The calculator shows the projected completion date. Perfect for estimating when work will be done considering only working days.

Common Use Cases

Legal and Contract Deadlines

Many legal documents specify business days for response times. A 30-business-day response period starting on December 15 might extend into late January due to holidays — our calculator handles this accurately.

Shipping and Delivery Estimates

E-commerce shipping estimates typically use business days. 5-7 business days for standard shipping means excluding weekends. An order placed on Friday with 5 business day shipping arrives the following Friday.

Project Management

Task durations in project plans are usually measured in business days. A task estimated at 10 business days starting Tuesday June 1 completes on Tuesday June 15 (excluding weekends).

Payroll and HR

Pay periods, PTO accrual, and notice periods are often calculated in business days. Two weeks notice is typically 10 business days. The calculator ensures accurate end dates.

Holiday Sets Available

US Federal Holidays: New Year's Day, MLK Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas
UK Bank Holidays: New Year's Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Early May Bank Holiday, Spring Bank Holiday, Summer Bank Holiday, Christmas Day, Boxing Day
Canada Statutory Holidays: New Year's Day, Family Day, Good Friday, Victoria Day, Canada Day, Civic Holiday, Labour Day, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day, Christmas, Boxing Day
Australia Public Holidays: New Year's Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, ANZAC Day, Queen's Birthday, Labour Day, Christmas, Boxing Day
India Public Holidays: Republic Day, Holi, Independence Day, Gandhi Jayanti, Diwali, Dussehra, Christmas, plus state-specific holidays

Real-World Example

A contract signed on December 20, 2025 requires a response within 15 business days, excluding US federal holidays:

Start date: December 20, 2025 (Saturday, so next business day is Monday December 22)
15 business days from December 22:
Exclude weekends: December 27-28, January 3-4, January 10-11
Exclude holidays: January 1 (New Year's Day)
Completion date: January 14, 2026
Calendar elapsed: 25 calendar days to get 15 business days

Without the holiday and weekend awareness, one might incorrectly estimate January 9 as the deadline — missing by 5 days.

Start Calculating

Use our Business Days Calculator below to compute working days accurately for any business need. Also check our Date Difference Calculator for total days between dates and our Weekday Calculator for finding the day of the week for any date.