Working Days Calculator

Both dates included, unlike days between

This one counts inclusively, because that is what "how many working days do I have" means. Monday to Friday is five working days, not four. The days between tool works the other way, which is the right behaviour for measuring a gap.

The working week is not universal

Monday to Friday is the default here, and it is far from global:

• Saturday to Thursday in several Middle Eastern countries, with Friday the rest day.
• Sunday to Thursday in Israel and, until recently, much of the Gulf.
• Six-day weeks in parts of manufacturing and retail worldwide.
• Four-day weeks, increasingly common by arrangement.

Tick whichever days apply. Half-days and shift patterns are beyond what a day counter can represent.

Public holidays have to come from you

There is no universal list. England and Scotland differ. American states differ. Many holidays move — Easter shifts by more than a month, and several countries observe holidays on a lunar calendar. Some move to the following Monday when they fall at a weekend, and others do not.

Rather than guess and be wrong, this asks you for a number. Count the ones that fall on days you would otherwise have worked — a holiday on a Saturday you do not work changes nothing.

Where the count is used

• Notice periods and contractual deadlines, which are very often specified in working days precisely to exclude weekends.
• Delivery and lead times. "Five working days" is a week and a half in calendar terms, sometimes longer with a holiday.
• Legal and regulatory clocks — appeals, responses, cooling-off periods.
• Project planning, where a 40-day estimate is eight weeks of real time.

That last point is where estimates most often slip. Two hundred and sixty weekdays a year, minus holidays and leave, leaves most people around 220 actual working days — well under two-thirds of the calendar.

Common uses

• Planning a project timeline in real days.
• Checking a stated lead time.
• Counting a notice period.
• Working out available capacity over a period.

The working, step by step

Questions people ask

Are both dates included?

Yes. Monday to Friday counts as five working days. The days between tool excludes the end date, because it measures a gap.

Why do I have to enter the holidays myself?

Because there is no universal list. England and Scotland differ, American states differ, Easter moves, and some holidays shift to the following Monday while others do not.

Can I use a different working week?

Yes, tick whichever days apply. Monday to Friday is only the default — Saturday to Thursday and Sunday to Thursday are common elsewhere.

How long is five working days in real terms?

A week and a half typically, and longer if a holiday falls in it.

How many working days are in a year?

About 260 weekdays, or roughly 220 once holidays and leave are deducted — well under two-thirds of the calendar.

Worked out in the page

The arithmetic runs in your browser. No date you type is sent anywhere, which matters for the ones that are nobody else's business — a birth date, a due date, a notice period. There is no server here to receive them. The about page lists every request the site makes.