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How to calculate how many days something is overdue in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Date arithmeticExcel & Google Sheets
=MAX(0,TODAY()-A2)Try it with your data
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Step by step
- 1Enter due dates in column A.
- 2In B2 enter =MAX(0,TODAY()-A2) — if today is past the due date the result is positive (overdue days); if not, it shows 0.
- 3Format column B as Number so it shows a day count, not a date.
- 4Add conditional formatting to highlight rows where B2>0 in red.
Tips
- To exclude weekends from the overdue count, use =MAX(0,NETWORKDAYS(A2,TODAY())-1) instead.
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Frequently asked
How do I show 'On time' vs '5 days overdue'?
Wrap with IF: =IF(TODAY()>A2,TODAY()-A2&" days overdue","On time")
Can I count overdue items across a list?
Yes — use =COUNTIF(B2:B6,">0") to count rows where the overdue days are positive.
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
Calculate completed years at an explicit as-of date with DATEDIF and numeric DATE inputs, avoiding ambiguous date text and changing examples.
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.