How to count working days between two dates
- Pick the start and end dates. Choose the first and last day of the period, for example a leave or a pay period.
- Set your weekly off days. Select the days your organization doesn’t work, such as Saturday and Sunday or Friday only.
- Add public holidays. List any holidays in the period, one date per line. They are skipped if they fall on a working day.
- Read the result. You get working days, weekly off days, holidays and total calendar days in the range.
Example: from Monday 2 March to Friday 27 March 2026 is 26 calendar days. With Saturday and Sunday off, 6 of those are weekend days, leaving 20. If Monday 23 March is a public holiday, the answer is 19 working days.
Working days per month in 2026
Weekdays in each month of 2026 for three common weekends, before public holidays. Subtract the holidays that fall on working days in your country or company.
| Month 2026 | Days | Sat & Sun off | Sunday off | Friday off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | 22 | 27 | 26 |
| February | 28 | 20 | 24 | 24 |
| March | 31 | 22 | 26 | 27 |
| April | 30 | 22 | 26 | 26 |
| May | 31 | 21 | 26 | 26 |
| June | 30 | 22 | 26 | 26 |
| July | 31 | 23 | 27 | 26 |
| August | 31 | 21 | 26 | 27 |
| September | 30 | 22 | 26 | 26 |
| October | 31 | 22 | 27 | 26 |
| November | 30 | 21 | 25 | 26 |
| December | 31 | 23 | 27 | 27 |
| Total | 365 | 261 | 313 | 313 |
Count working days in Excel and Google Sheets
With the start date in A2, end date in B2 and a list of holiday dates named Holidays:
The seven-character code runs Monday to Sunday, with 1 for a day off: 0000011 is Saturday–Sunday, 0000001 is Sunday only, 0000100 is Friday only and 0000110 is Friday–Saturday. Both functions include the start and end dates.
Working days for leave, attendance and payroll
Leave, attendance percentage and daily pay should all be based on working days, not calendar days. A leave from Friday to Monday over a weekend uses 2 days of leave, not 4. Attendance percentage divides days present by working days. And a daily rate often divides the monthly salary by the working days in that month; see the per day salary calculator.
The free leave tracker template and attendance sheet template count working days the same way. Clocked Live does it automatically for each employee, using their own weekly off days, company holidays and personal off days, so leave balances and payroll reports are always right.