Calculating business days is essential for HR professionals, project managers, payroll specialists, and anyone who needs to schedule work around weekends and holidays. Here's everything you need to know.
What Are Business Days?
Business days (also called working days) are Monday through Friday, excluding weekends (Saturday and Sunday) and public holidays. Most contracts, shipping deadlines, and payroll cycles use business days rather than calendar days.
The Manual Formula
The basic formula for calculating business days:
Business Days = Total Days − Weekend Days − Holidays
US Federal Holidays (2024)
- January 1 – New Year's Day
- January 15 – Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- February 19 – Presidents' Day
- May 27 – Memorial Day
- June 19 – Juneteenth
- July 4 – Independence Day
- September 2 – Labor Day
- November 11 – Veterans Day
- November 28 – Thanksgiving Day
- December 25 – Christmas Day
Use Our Free Business Days Calculator
Instead of calculating manually, use our free Business Days Calculator. Simply:
- Enter your start date
- Enter your end date
- Check "Exclude US Holidays" if needed
- Click "Calculate Work Days"
You'll instantly see the number of business days, total calendar days, and weekend days in the range.