πΌ Working Days Calculator
Business days between two dates, minus weekends and US federal holidays.
Between the Two Dates
How to Use the Working Days Calculator
Enter the start and end dates and press Count Working Days. The tool counts every weekday in the span, both endpoints included when they fall on weekdays, and optionally subtracts US federal holidays with weekend observance handled. You get the working-day total, the total calendar days, the weekend days removed, and the holidays removed with their names listed.
Business-day counts run the working world. Notice periods, shipping estimates, project schedules, invoice terms like "net 30," and court deadlines all count in working days rather than calendar days. Getting the count right matters because a single miscounted holiday can shift a deadline, and deadlines with money attached do not forgive arithmetic errors.
How the Count Works
The calculator walks each date in the span and keeps it if the weekday is Monday through Friday. With holidays on, it drops the 11 US federal holidays, shifting to the observed weekday when a holiday lands on Saturday or Sunday: a Saturday holiday is observed the preceding Friday, a Sunday holiday the following Monday. The listing shows exactly which holidays were removed.
Worked Example
October 1 to October 31, 2026. October 1 is a Thursday. The month has 31 days: 5 Thursdays, 5 Fridays, 5 Saturdays, 4 Sundays, and 4 each of Monday through Wednesday. Weekdays: 31 - 5 Saturdays - 4 Sundays = 22. Federal holidays in October 2026: Columbus Day, Monday October 12. With holidays excluded: 22 - 1 = 21 working days. The calculator walks the same logic date by date and lists Columbus Day as the removed holiday, so you can verify the result instead of trusting it blindly.
Business Days in Contracts and Deadlines
"Net 30" on an invoice usually means 30 calendar days, but "10 business days" for a delivery or a cure period means weekdays minus holidays, which stretches about two calendar weeks into 14 days. Court deadlines are the strictest: missing a filing date by one miscounted day can forfeit a case, which is why lawyers count business days with dedicated software rather than by hand.
Two-week notice is the classic example. It means 10 working days, not 14 calendar days, and holidays inside the notice do not extend it unless the agreement says so. Shipping estimates work the same way: "3 to 5 business days" ordered Friday afternoon really means the following Wednesday to Friday. When a count has consequences, run it through the calculator and save the breakdown.
US Federal Holidays, Year by Year
The eleven federal holidays are New Year Day (Jan 1), Martin Luther King Jr. Day (3rd Monday of January), Presidents Day (3rd Monday of February), Memorial Day (last Monday of May), Juneteenth (June 19), Independence Day (July 4), Labor Day (1st Monday of September), Columbus Day (2nd Monday of October), Veterans Day (Nov 11), Thanksgiving (4th Thursday of November), and Christmas (Dec 25). Fixed-date holidays that fall on Saturday are observed the prior Friday; on Sunday, the following Monday.
Company calendars usually add more: the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, sometimes a floating holiday. The calculator covers the federal baseline; for company-specific counts, run the span with holidays off and subtract your extra days manually. State holidays, like Patriots Day in Massachusetts, follow the same manual-subtraction approach.
Tips for Accurate Counts
Confirm the endpoint convention before the count matters. This tool includes both endpoints when they are working days, which suits project planning. Shipping and legal contexts sometimes exclude the start day; if yours does, subtract 1 when the start is a weekday. Stating the convention takes five seconds and prevents the most common business-day argument.
For long spans, sanity-check with the 5/7 estimate: 365 days Γ 5/7 β 261 weekdays, minus 11 holidays β 250 working days a year. If the calculator returns something far from that for a full year, recheck the dates. And for international work, remember the weekend differs: much of the Middle East observes Friday-Saturday weekends, which changes every count. This tool uses the US Monday-Friday week.
Working Days and Project Planning
Convert working days to calendar time when planning: 10 working days is 14 calendar days, 20 is about 28, and 60 is roughly 84, or 12 weeks. This 7/5 multiplier (1.4Γ) turns any business-day estimate into a calendar date. A "30 business day" project starting Monday lands about 42 calendar days later, six full weeks, not one month.
Buffer holidays explicitly in project plans. A 40-working-day project spanning late November loses 2 to 3 days to Thanksgiving week and possibly more to Christmas slowdowns, even before counting the federal holidays themselves. Listing the holidays inside the span, which the calculator does for you, turns vague unease about the calendar into a concrete adjusted date.
A Second Worked Example: The Net-30 Invoice
Invoice sent October 16, 2026 with net-30 business-day terms. Thirty weekdays from October 16 lands around November 30, 2026: six weeks of weekdays, minus Thanksgiving (Thursday, November 26) observed, plus the Friday after for many businesses. The exact date depends on the holiday setting, which is why the calculator lists removed holidays by name. A "30-day" invoice means late November; a "30-business-day" invoice means early December. That week of difference is real money on a big invoice.
State the convention on the invoice itself: "Net 30 business days (excluding US federal holidays)." Ten words that prevent the most common payment dispute in freelancing. Ambiguous terms get interpreted in the payer's favor, which is never yours.
Business Days Around the World
The Monday-to-Friday week is not universal. Several Middle Eastern countries observe Friday-Saturday weekends, with Sunday as a workday; Israel observes Friday-Saturday with Sunday working. Brunei and parts of Malaysia have used Friday-Sunday or Saturday-Sunday variants. When counting business days across borders, the weekend itself moves, not just the holidays.
Holidays differ even more. The US has 11 federal holidays; other countries range from under 10 to over 20 public holidays, and some observe religious calendars that shift yearly. For international contracts, name the holiday calendar in the agreement: "business days per the US federal calendar" or the relevant country's. The calculator covers the US federal set; cross-border deadlines need both calendars checked.
Common Working-Day Mistakes
First: the endpoint question. Does "October 1 to October 31" include both ends? The calculator includes endpoints that fall on weekdays; contracts vary, so check. Second: holiday observance. When July 4 falls on Saturday, the observed holiday is the preceding Friday; on Sunday, the following Monday. Counting the calendar date instead of the observed date miscounts.
Third: the 5/7 estimate treated as exact. Total days times 5/7 approximates working days but drifts around month boundaries and holidays; use it for estimates, the calculator for commitments. Fourth: forgetting state holidays. Some states add days like Patriots' Day or Cesar Chavez Day that affect local deadlines but not federal ones. Fifth: the "business day" definition in finance, which can exclude days the banks are closed beyond public holidays. Read the definition in your specific agreement.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate working days between two dates?
Count the days in the span, then subtract Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays. The calculator above does this exactly with US federal holidays included as an option. As a quick estimate, multiply total days by 5/7, then subtract roughly one holiday per month.
Do working days include Saturday?
No, the standard business-day count covers Monday through Friday only. Some industries and countries work Saturdays, but US business-day math excludes weekends. If your schedule includes Saturdays, count total days minus Sundays and holidays instead, or run the span through the date-to-date calculator.
How many working days are in October 2026?
October 2026 has 22 weekdays. With US federal holidays excluded, it has 21, since Columbus Day falls on Monday, October 12. The calculator confirms this: enter October 1 and October 31 as the range with the holiday option turned on.
How many working days in a year?
A standard year has 260 weekdays (52 weeks times 5), minus about 11 US federal holidays, giving roughly 249 working days. Leap years add one weekday. Actual counts vary with company holiday schedules, which often add days like the Friday after Thanksgiving.
What is the difference between business days and working days?
Nothing in common usage; the terms are interchangeable and both mean Monday through Friday excluding public holidays. Contracts sometimes define business days explicitly, occasionally excluding the day of the triggering event, so check the definition in the document you are working with.
Do I count the start and end dates?
Conventions vary. This calculator counts both endpoints when they fall on working days, and it shows the total-day count alongside so you can adjust. For shipping estimates, the ship day often does not count; for project plans, both usually do. Pick the convention your situation uses.
Which US federal holidays are excluded?
New Year Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. When a holiday falls on a weekend, the observed weekday is excluded instead. The calculator applies these when the holiday option is on.
How many working days is 2 weeks?
Two calendar weeks contain 10 working days. This is the basis of the common two-week notice: 10 business days, not 14 calendar days. Holidays inside the notice period do not extend it unless your agreement explicitly says otherwise in writing.