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DATEDIF vs YEARFRAC: measuring durations in Excel and Sheets
Topic:Date arithmeticExcel & Google Sheets
=DATEDIF(A2,B2,"Y")Try it with your data
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Step by step
- 1DATEDIF(start, end, "Y") returns whole completed years — ideal for age and tenure.
- 2YEARFRAC(start, end) returns a fraction, e.g. 2.5 years, for financial proration.
- 3Use DATEDIF for human-readable counts and YEARFRAC where partial periods matter.
Tips
- DATEDIF also takes "M" (months) and "D" (days); "MD" and "YM" give the leftover parts.
- YEARFRAC accepts a basis argument (e.g. 30/360, actual/365) to match a financial convention.
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Frequently asked
Why is DATEDIF missing from the function list?
DATEDIF is undocumented but works in Excel and Google Sheets for backward compatibility. Type it manually — autocomplete may not suggest it.
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.