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How to add days to a date in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Date arithmeticExcel & Google Sheets
=A2+B2Try it with your data
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Step by step
- 1Enter your start date in A2 (formatted as a date) and the number of days to add in B2.
- 2Enter =A2+B2 in the result cell — the date moves forward B2 calendar days.
- 3Format the result cell as a date if it shows as a number: right-click → Format Cells → Date.
- 4Hardcode the days inline when you don't need a helper cell: =A2+30.
- 5To skip weekends, use =WORKDAY(A2,B2) instead. To also skip holidays, pass a holiday range as a third argument: =WORKDAY(A2,B2,Holidays!A:A).
Tips
- Subtract days with a negative number or minus: =A2-7 moves back one week.
- Add whole weeks with multiplication: =A2+(B2*7) adds B2 weeks.
- Add business days only: =WORKDAY(A2,10) lands on the 10th working day, skipping Sat/Sun.
- Skip holidays too: =WORKDAY(A2,10,$H$2:$H$20) where H2:H20 lists your holiday dates.
- Add months instead of days with EDATE: =EDATE(A2,3) adds 3 months and handles 30 vs 31 day months correctly.
- Date subtraction returns a count of days: =B2-A2 gives the number of days between two dates.
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Frequently asked
Why does my result show a large number instead of a date?
The result cell isn't formatted as a date. Select the cell → Format Cells → Date. The underlying number is correct (e.g. 45000 = mid-2023); it just needs date formatting to display.
How is adding days different from EDATE?
Direct addition adds exact calendar days (every day = 1). EDATE adds whole months and adjusts for month length — =A2+30 lands somewhere different from =EDATE(A2,1) because months aren't always 30 days. Use direct addition for exact day counts, EDATE for month-aware shifts.
How do I add days but skip weekends?
Use WORKDAY: =WORKDAY(A2,10) lands on the 10th working day after A2, automatically skipping Saturdays and Sundays. To also skip a holiday list, add it as the third argument: =WORKDAY(A2,10,Holidays!A:A).
How do I add weeks instead of days?
Multiply by 7: =A2+(B2*7) adds B2 weeks. Or just hardcode: =A2+14 adds two weeks. There's no built-in WEEKS function — multiplication is the conventional approach.
Why does WORKDAY skip Friday in some countries?
WORKDAY hardcodes Saturday/Sunday as the weekend. For regions where the weekend is Friday/Saturday (much of the Middle East), use WORKDAY.INTL with a weekend code: =WORKDAY.INTL(A2,10,7) treats Friday/Saturday as the weekend.
Can I add days to a text date?
Not directly — Excel will return #VALUE!. First convert with DATEVALUE: =DATEVALUE(A2)+B2. Better, fix the source cell to store as a real date so all your formulas work without conversion.
More on Date arithmetic
See all →Reference
TODAY / DATEDIF
Work with the current date and measure the gap between two dates.
How-toHow to calculate age from a date of birth
Turn a birth date into an age in years with DATEDIF and TODAY. Works the same in Excel and Google Sheets.
ReferenceDATEDIF
Calculates the difference between two dates in years, months, or days using a unit code string.
How-toHow to calculate days between two dates
Subtract one date from another to get the number of days, or count working days with NETWORKDAYS. Works in both apps.
How-toHow to add months to a date
Shift a date forward or back by a number of months with EDATE — it handles month lengths correctly. Works in both apps.
How-toHow to flag overdue dates
Mark rows whose due date has passed by comparing it to TODAY() with IF. Works the same in Excel and Google Sheets.