Written and reviewed by FormulaCraft Team. Each formula on this page is run through our verification engine before publishing.
Last reviewed:
How to calculate the years between two dates in Excel and Google Sheets
Topic:Date arithmeticExcel & Google Sheets
=DATEDIF(A2,B2,"Y")Try it with your data
Edit the grid or formula, then run it through a real spreadsheet engine — no signup.
Sample data — click any cell to edit
Runs server-side · free · no signup
Step by step
- 1Place the earlier date in A2 and the later date in B2.
- 2Enter =DATEDIF(A2,B2,"Y") in the result cell.
- 3This returns the number of complete years; partial years are ignored.
- 4For fractional years (e.g., 2.75 years), use =YEARFRAC(A2,B2) instead.
- 5Press Enter to see the result formatted as a whole number.
Tips
- YEARFRAC(start,end,1) uses actual days/actual year basis, which is the most accurate for financial and actuarial calculations.
Working on a sheet you inherited? Run the Auditor on the whole file first — it flags every #REF!, #N/A, broken column pattern, and inconsistent formula in seconds, free, no signup.
Frequently asked
Why use DATEDIF instead of just subtracting years: YEAR(B2)-YEAR(A2)?
YEAR(B2)-YEAR(A2) counts any two dates in different years as 1 year apart, even if only a day apart (e.g., Dec 31 and Jan 1). DATEDIF correctly counts only complete 12-month periods.
What is YEARFRAC good for?
YEARFRAC returns a decimal representing the fraction of a year, useful in financial calculations such as interest accrual where you need 1.5 years rather than just 1.
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.