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Business Days Calculator

Count business days between dates, compare calendar and weekend days, and optionally include Saturdays. Free date calculator; holidays are not deducted.

Your date range

The start date is excluded and the end date is included. Equal dates return zero days.

Date range summary

Business days
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Calendar days
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Weekend days (Saturday + Sunday)
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Non-working days
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Elapsed time
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Weekend days always count Saturdays and Sundays, even when Saturdays are working days.

Public holidays and company closures are not deducted. Elapsed time is a calendar duration, not hours worked or a legal deadline determination.

Business Days Calculator: Working Days Between Dates and Deadline Planning

Business days and calendar days answer different scheduling questions. A calendar count includes every date; a business-day count follows a weekly working pattern. Use this tool to compare a project window, review a supplier lead time or estimate a contractual interval. It uses a Monday–Friday week by default, with an optional working Saturday, and no holiday calendar.

Counting rules and formulas

  • Calendar-day difference Calendar days = end date − start date. This calculator excludes the start date and includes the end date. October 19 to October 26, 2026 spans 7 calendar days. Equal dates give zero, and an end date before the start is invalid.
  • Business-day formula Business days = calendar days − non-working days. Each full week contributes 5 working days, or 6 when Saturday is enabled. For the remaining days, check their weekdays and exclude Sunday and, by default, Saturday.
  • Weekend count versus non-working days Weekend days always mean Saturdays plus Sundays. If Saturday is a working day, weekend days and non-working days are different: a seven-day interval has 2 weekend days but only 1 non-working day.
  • Elapsed time Elapsed time is shown as whole weeks and remaining calendar days: weeks = floor(calendar days ÷ 7), remaining days = calendar days mod 7. It is not a total of working hours. Calendar arithmetic avoids daylight-saving changes affecting the day count.

Corporate and contractual deadlines: step by step

  1. Check the governing rule Read the contract, service agreement or company policy. Confirm whether the period is stated in business days or calendar days, whether Saturday counts, and which holiday calendar applies. Definitions differ between countries, courts and organizations.
  2. Choose the counting boundaries Identify the event date and the proposed end date. This tool starts counting on the following day and includes the end date. If your rule includes the initial date or excludes the final one, adjust your comparison accordingly.
  3. Compare and verify Enter the dates, set the Saturday option and compare the results. Review public holidays, company closures, cut-off times and time zones separately. Do not simply subtract one day per holiday if it already falls on an excluded weekend.
  4. Confirm the actual deadline This tool counts between two dates; it does not add a specified number of working days to find a due date or apply legal extensions. A deadline falling on a closed day may move under a governing rule. Verify important contractual or legal dates with the responsible organization.

Worked examples: business days versus calendar days

  • One full week From Monday October 19 to Monday October 26, 2026: 7 calendar days, 5 business days, 2 weekend days and elapsed time of 1 week. The initial Monday is excluded; the final Monday is included.
  • Working Saturdays For the same dates, enabling Saturday gives 6 business days and 1 non-working day. Weekend days remain 2 because that label always counts both Saturday and Sunday.
  • Friday to Monday From October 23 to October 26, 2026: 3 calendar days, 1 business day and 2 weekend days. Counting Saturday as working increases business days to 2.
  • Holiday caution December 24 to December 25, 2026 is 1 calendar day and 1 weekday in this tool. If December 25 is a holiday for your organization, that day must be considered separately.

Business Days Calculator FAQ

How many business days are in a week?

Normally five, Monday through Friday. With working Saturdays enabled, there are six. Sundays are always excluded here; public holidays are not deducted.

What is the difference between business days and calendar days?

Calendar days include every day. Business days include only days in the selected working pattern. A seven-calendar-day interval therefore usually contains five business days.

Does the calculator include the start and end dates?

It excludes the start date and includes the end date. Two identical dates produce zero days. Check whether this convention matches the policy governing your deadline.

Are public holidays excluded automatically?

No. There is no country or company holiday calendar. A weekday holiday is counted as a business day unless you account for it separately.

Are Saturdays business days?

Not by default. Enable the Saturday option if the relevant work schedule counts them. In some legal systems a working-day definition includes Saturday, so check the applicable rule.

Why does the weekend count stay the same when I enable Saturdays?

Weekend days count Saturdays and Sundays as calendar categories. The business-day and non-working-day totals change, but the weekend-day total does not.

Can I use this to determine a legal or contractual deadline?

Use it as a planning aid, not a binding determination. Holiday rules, local definitions, cut-off times and extensions can affect a deadline. It counts a chosen range rather than adding business days.

Do leap years, time zones or clock changes affect the count?

Valid leap days are included in the calendar range. Dates are counted as calendar days using UTC date parts, so daylight-saving changes do not add or remove days. Your actual deadline’s time zone must still be checked.