📅 Date & Time Function · intermediate
WORKDAY Function in Google Sheets
Returns a date N business days before or after a start date. Excludes weekends and optional holidays.
Syntax
WORKDAY(start_date, num_days, [holidays])Returns: A date shifted by num_days business days.
Excel equivalent: WORKDAY (identical)
Parameters
| Name | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| start_date | Required | Reference date. |
| num_days | Required | Business days to add (positive) or subtract (negative). |
| holidays | Optional | Range of holidays to exclude. |
Examples
10-day deadline
=WORKDAY(A2, 10)10 business days after A2. Skips weekends.
With holidays
=WORKDAY(A2, 10, Holidays!A:A)Also skips holidays.
Backward
=WORKDAY(A2, -5, Holidays!A:A)5 business days before A2.
When to use an alternative
- WORKDAY.INTL — Non-standard weekends.
- NETWORKDAYS — Counting business days between dates.
Common errors and how to fix them
Wrong skips
Cause: Non-Mon-Fri week.
Fix: Use WORKDAY.INTL.
Holiday not excluded
Cause: Cell formatted as text.
Fix: Verify date-typed.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What's a weekend?
Saturday and Sunday by default. Use WORKDAY.INTL for non-standard weeks.
Holidays added or excluded?
Excluded.