For any excel user, it is easier to know and convert the number of days between dates. You can use the DATE IF function in excel or go the simplest way of subtracting the two dates. Let's look at how to go about this using the following methods.
Using subtraction function to find the days between dates in Excel
1. On your computer, open your excel worksheet.
2. First, enter the start date in one cell.
3. Enter the end date in a different cell
4. Type in your formula. Here you will use the criteria; =DAYS (end_date, start_date)
Newer date – Older date
From the above function, the resulting value you will get will be the number of days between the two days.
Calculating the number of days between dates using the DATEIF function
Another simpler way to count the days between dates in your excel worksheet is by using the DATEIF function. With this function, you will be able to work out the date difference in various units. You can calculate for months, days, and years.
Here, you will have three arguments; the first argument will be the start date, the second argument will be the end date, while the last argument will be the"d" unit. Here is how your syntax formula will look like;
=DATEIF (start_date, end_date, "d")
Unlike the process used in the subtraction operation, using the DATEIF formula ensures that you only subtract an older date from a newer date and not the other way round. Note, in case your start date is greater than the end date, your results will be #NUM!Error.
Also, note that the DATEIF function is not an inbuilt excel function. To use it, you will have to type your arguments manually.
Ways of counting the days between dates using Excel's DAYS function
Another way you can use to convert the dates between days in excel is by using the DAYS function. Unlike the DATEIF function, this function's arguments will be in reverse order. Here is how the syntax formula looks like:
=DAYS (end_date, start_date)
With this formula, you can get a return value that is either a positive or negative number. Your results will depend on whether the end date is smaller or greater than the start date.
Steps to follow when calculating days between today and another date
To calculate the number of days between a current date and a future or current date, you can use the above functions. You can also use the following functions below;
TODAY () – past_date whereby you will be calculating the number of days since date.
Future_date – TODAY () is used to calculate the number of days until a date.
Ways of calculating the total number of working days between two dates in excel
A worker may want to know the total number of workdays in a work calendar. To get the exact value, we use the NETWORKDAYS function. In this function, we use the same arguments as the DATEIF function but factor in the days covered by holidays. However, adding the holiday argument is optional. Here is how the function looks like;
=NETWORKDAYS (start_date, end_date, [holidays])
