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How to count the days until a deadline in Excel and Google Sheets
Excel & Google Sheets
=MAX(0,A2-TODAY())Try it with your data
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Step by step
- 1Enter deadlines in column A formatted as dates.
- 2In B2 enter =MAX(0,A2-TODAY()) to get days remaining (never negative).
- 3To show negative days for overdue items, remove MAX: =A2-TODAY().
- 4Format column B as Number (not Date) so it shows a count of days.
Tips
- Combine with conditional formatting: highlight B2 red when =A2-TODAY()<0, yellow when <=7, green when >7 for a quick traffic-light view.
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Frequently asked
Why does my result show a date instead of a number?
The cell is formatted as a Date. Change its format to Number or General (Ctrl+1 in Excel, Format > Number > Number in Sheets).
How do I count only business days until the deadline?
Use =NETWORKDAYS(TODAY(),A2)-1 which counts weekdays and optionally excludes holidays.