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How to add months to a date in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Date arithmeticExcel & Google Sheets
=EDATE(A2,B2)Try it with your data
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Step by step
- 1Enter your start date in A2 and the number of months to add in B2.
- 2In a result cell, enter =EDATE(A2,B2).
- 3Format the result cell as a date if it shows a number.
- 4To add months directly without a helper cell, use =EDATE(A2,3) to add 3 months.
- 5Use negative values to subtract months: =EDATE(A2,-2) goes back 2 months.
Tips
- EDATE correctly handles month-end scenarios: =EDATE("2024-01-31",1) returns 2024-02-29 (in a leap year) rather than an invalid date.
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Frequently asked
What is the difference between EDATE and just adding 30 days?
Adding 30 always moves exactly 30 days, which may land mid-month. EDATE moves to the same day of the following month, or the last day if the month is shorter.
Is EDATE available in all versions of Excel?
EDATE is available in Excel 2007 and later, and in all versions of Google Sheets. In older Excel versions it required the Analysis ToolPak add-in.
More on Date arithmetic
See all →Reference
TODAY / DATEDIF
Work with the current date and measure the gap between two dates.
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ReferenceDATEDIF
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