Dates and reporting
NETWORKDAYS function: count working days excluding holidays
Count Monday-to-Friday working days between a start and end date inclusively, deducting weekday closures from a holiday range without double-counting weekend holidays.
A Monday-to-Friday week with one midweek closure
Consider the week from Monday 2 March 2026 (serial 46083 in B2) through Friday 6 March 2026 (serial 46087 in C2), with a scheduled workshop closure on Wednesday 4 March 2026 (serial 46085 in E2) and a Saturday maintenance date on 7 March 2026 (serial 46088 in E3).
| Start (B2) | End (C2) | Closure 1 (E2) | Closure 2 (E3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2 Mar 2026 (46083) | Fri 6 Mar 2026 (46087) | Wed 4 Mar 2026 (46085) | Sat 7 Mar 2026 (46088) |
Both endpoints count when they fall on weekdays
Without holidays, =NETWORKDAYS(B2, C2) returns 5 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday), whereas C2 - B2 is 4. Supplying the holiday list E2:E3 deducts Wednesday 4 March and ignores Saturday 7 March because weekends are already excluded, returning 4.
=NETWORKDAYS(B2,C2,E2:E3)Check same-day tasks and reversed dates
A task opened and closed on Monday 2 March—NETWORKDAYS(B2, B2)—returns 1 working day. If start and end dates are reversed (NETWORKDAYS(C2, B2, E2:E3)), the function returns -4, making swapped dates easy to spot.
Try the example
Use the original values or change them to test your understanding.