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How to get the first day of the month in Excel and Google Sheets

Excel & Google Sheets
=DATE(YEAR(A2),MONTH(A2),1)

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Step by step

  1. 1Enter your date in A2.
  2. 2In a result cell, enter =DATE(YEAR(A2),MONTH(A2),1).
  3. 3This reconstructs the date using the same year and month, but always with day 1.
  4. 4Format the result cell as a date.
  5. 5Alternatively, use EOMONTH to get the first day of the next month: =EOMONTH(A2,-1)+1.

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Frequently asked

How do I get the first day of the next month?

Use =DATE(YEAR(A2),MONTH(A2)+1,1). Excel and Sheets handle the December-to-January rollover automatically.

How do I get the first day of the previous month?

Use =DATE(YEAR(A2),MONTH(A2)-1,1). The January-to-December rollover is handled correctly.

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