Formula guide · Excel and Google Sheets · Updated May 13, 2026
Add Business Days to a Date
Add working days to a start date while skipping weekends and optional holidays.
Quick Answer
Use WORKDAY to add business days to a date and skip Saturday and Sunday automatically.
Copyable Formula
=WORKDAY(A2,10,H2:H20)Syntax
=WORKDAY(start_date, business_days, [holidays])Excel and Google Sheets
Worked Example
| A | B | H |
|---|---|---|
| Start | Business days | Holidays |
| 2026-05-13 | 10 | 2026-05-25 |
Result: Returns a deadline 10 working days after the start date, excluding listed holidays.
Steps
- Put the start date in one cell.
- Put the number of business days in another cell.
- Add a holiday range when official holidays should be skipped.
- Use WORKDAY.INTL if weekends are not Saturday and Sunday.
Common Mistakes
- Using simple addition when weekends should not count.
- Forgetting holidays in deadline calculations.
- Using WORKDAY when the deadline should count calendar days.
Excel vs Google Sheets Notes
The core idea works in both Excel and Google Sheets, but separators, function availability, and array behavior can vary by account, locale, and version.
Editorial check: This guide was last updated May 13, 2026. Formula behavior can vary by Excel version, Google Sheets rollout, and spreadsheet locale.