Business Days Calculator — add or subtract working days from a date

How it works

A business day (or working day) is any day from Monday to Friday. To find the date a given number of business days away, the calculator moves forward (or backward) one calendar day at a time and counts a day only if it is a weekday. Saturdays and Sundays are stepped over without counting.

The start date is not counted — "10 business days after January 1" means the tenth working day that follows it. Because roughly two weekend days fall inside every five business days, the result is usually a few calendar days further out than the business-day count alone. The calculator reports the calendar days spanned and the weekend days skipped so you can see the difference.

Public holidays are not removed, since they differ by country and region. If a holiday falls on a weekday in your range, subtract it yourself for an exact working-day result.

Worked example

Start on Thursday January 1, 2026 and add 10 business days. Counting only weekdays — Jan 2, then Jan 5–9, then Jan 12–15 — the tenth working day is Jan 15, 2026. That spans 14 calendar days, of which 4 were weekend days that were skipped.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add business days to a date?

Move forward from the start date one day at a time, counting only Monday-to-Friday days and skipping weekends, until you reach the number of business days you need. The start date is not counted. 10 business days after January 1, 2026 is January 15, 2026.

Does the start date count as day one?

No. The count begins with the next day, so the result is the Nth working day that follows the start date. This matches how deadlines like "within 5 business days" are usually meant.

Are weekends included?

Weekends are skipped, not counted. Only Monday through Friday count as business days, so adding business days always lands you on a weekday.

Does this subtract public holidays?

No. Holidays vary by country, state and year, so only weekends are treated as non-working days. Subtract any weekday holidays in your range for a precise figure.

How do I count business days backward?

Choose the "subtract" direction to step backward from the start date, skipping weekends. For example, 10 business days before January 15, 2026 is January 1, 2026.

Why is the calendar span longer than the number of business days?

Because weekends fall inside the range. Every five business days usually includes a two-day weekend, so ten business days typically span about fourteen calendar days.