How to Calculate Business Days
Learn to count Monday–Friday business days between dates, with weekends excluded and public holidays checked separately.
What Are Business Days
Business days are commonly Monday through Friday, with weekends excluded. Public holidays require a separate check under the relevant country, organization, contract, or rule. Understanding how to calculate business days is essential for contract deadlines, legal notice periods, shipping estimates, and project planning.
How to Calculate Business Days
The calculation is straightforward: count each day between your start and end dates, skip Saturdays and Sundays, and count the remaining days. For longer periods, estimate: a typical month has about 22 business days, a year about 260.
Excluding Public Holidays
The current calculator excludes weekends only. For a contractual or official deadline, check the relevant public-holiday calendar separately and deduct any holidays required by that rule.
Practical Examples
Example 1: A project task starts on Monday, and the team chooses Monday as Day 1 of a five-business-day internal schedule. Counting Monday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday-Friday gives an internal target of Friday. Example 2: Starting a 10-business-day project on Monday = 2 full calendar weeks.
Common Mistakes
The most common error is including weekends by accident. Always double-check your date range. During holiday seasons, business day counts can be significantly lower than expected.
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Desmarto Editorial Team
The Desmarto team creates accurate, well-researched content about time, date, and work-hour calculations. Every guide is reviewed for precision and clarity.
Quick reference
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate business days between two dates?
Count weekdays between the dates, excluding weekends. Check and deduct applicable public holidays separately.
How many business days are in a year?
A standard year has approximately 260 business days (52 weeks x 5 weekdays).
Are Saturdays considered business days?
No. In most countries, Saturday and Sunday are not business days.