How many business days?
Enter a start date and an end date to count the business days between them. Weekends and US federal holidays are left out, and the holidays skipped are listed.
- Business days
- 22
From September 30, 2026 to October 30, 2026: 22 business days.
- Calendar days
- 31
- Weekend days
- 8
- Federal holidays
- 1
- Holidays skipped
- Columbus Day (October 12, 2026)
Answer for the example date Wednesday, September 30, 2026. It changes to today's date when the page loads.
Business days: 22. From September 30, 2026 to October 30, 2026: 22 business days.
Where are the dates on the calendar?
How to calculate
Counts the business days between two dates: the days that are not Saturdays, Sundays, or US federal holidays, and lists the holidays skipped.
Example with the default inputs (Start date September 30, 2026, End date October 30, 2026, Count the end date Yes, Skip US federal holidays Yes) on the example date Wednesday, September 30, 2026: From September 30, 2026 to October 30, 2026: 22 business days.
Method: business days = calendar days in the period − Saturdays and Sundays − US federal holidays observed on a weekday in the period
- The start date is counted; the end date is counted when “Count the end date” is on (the default).
- Weekends are Saturday and Sunday.
- Holidays are the 11 US federal holidays of 5 U.S.C. 6103 (Juneteenth from 2021), on the day off: a holiday on a Saturday is observed on the Friday before, and one on a Sunday on the Monday after. Extra days off given by executive order are not counted.
- The start date is today unless you change it; the page reads today’s date from your device when it loads.
- An end date before the start date has no answer.
Worked examples
Each example is checked against the calculator on every build.
- Start date 2026-10-01, End date 2026-10-31, Count the end date yes, Skip US federal holidays yes gives Business days 21, Calendar days 31, Weekend days 9, Federal holidays 1, Holidays skipped Columbus Day (October 12, 2026).Source: OPM federal holidays 2026 (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/): Columbus Day, Monday, October 12
- Start date 2026-06-29, End date 2026-07-10, Count the end date yes, Skip US federal holidays yes gives Business days 9, Calendar days 12, Weekend days 2, Federal holidays 1, Holidays skipped Independence Day (observed July 3, 2026).Source: OPM federal holidays 2026 (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/): Independence Day observed Friday, July 3; 5 U.S.C. 6103
- Start date 2026-01-01, End date 2026-12-31, Count the end date yes, Skip US federal holidays yes gives Business days 250, Calendar days 365, Weekend days 104, Federal holidays 11.Source: OPM federal holidays 2026 (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/): 11 holidays, all on weekdays
- Start date 2026-09-28, End date 2026-10-05, Count the end date no, Skip US federal holidays no gives Business days 5, Calendar days 7, Weekend days 2, Federal holidays 0.
How it works
Dates are whole calendar days, with no time of day. The period starts on the start date and ends on the end date; the end date is part of the period when Count the end date is on (the default), and the day before it when it is off. Dates from January 1, 1986 to December 31, 2400 are accepted. An end date before the start date has no answer; the same date twice with the end date not counted is a period of 0 days.
- Calendar days = the days in the period.
- Weekend days = the Saturdays and Sundays in the period.
- Federal holidays = the US federal holidays whose observed day falls in the period, when Skip US federal holidays is on (the default), else 0.
- Business days = calendar days − weekend days − federal holidays.
The US federal holidays (5 U.S.C. 6103) are, with the names the list uses:
| Name in the list | Day |
|---|---|
| New Year's Day | January 1 |
| Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | third Monday of January |
| Washington's Birthday | third Monday of February |
| Memorial Day | last Monday of May |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day | June 19 (from 2021) |
| Independence Day | July 4 |
| Labor Day | first Monday of September |
| Columbus Day | second Monday of October |
| Veterans Day | November 11 |
| Thanksgiving Day | fourth Thursday of November |
| Christmas Day | December 25 |
A holiday with a fixed date that falls on a Saturday is observed on the Friday before, and one on a Sunday on the Monday after (the OPM rule), so every observed day is a weekday. New Year’s Day on a Saturday is observed on December 31 of the year before. Extra days off by executive order are not counted.
Holidays skipped lists the holidays in the period by observed day, each as “Name (Month D, YYYY)”, or “Name (observed Month D, YYYY)” when the observed day is not the holiday’s own date, joined by “; ”. After 12 holidays it ends with “; and N more”. It is empty when no holiday is skipped.
The start date starts as today and the end date as 30 days after today. The page was built on one day and may be opened on another: the built page shows the dates of its build day, and your browser replaces them with yours as soon as the page loads.
Worked examples by hand
October 1 to October 31, 2026, end date counted. October has 31 days. October 1 is a Thursday, so the Saturdays are the 3rd, 10th, 17th, 24th and 31st and the Sundays the 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th: 9 weekend days. Columbus Day is Monday, October 12. Business days: 31 − 9 − 1 = 21.
June 29 to July 10, 2026. 12 calendar days, Monday to Friday of the next week. The weekend is July 4 and 5. July 4 is a Saturday, so Independence Day is observed on Friday, July 3. Business days: 12 − 2 − 1 = 9.
All of 2026. 365 days, starting on a Thursday: 52 full weeks hold 104 weekend days, and the extra day (December 31) is a Thursday. All 11 federal holidays are observed on weekdays: January 1, January 19, February 16, May 25, June 19, July 3, September 7, October 12, November 11, November 26 and December 25. Business days: 365 − 104 − 11 = 250.
Monday, September 28 to Monday, October 5, 2026, end date not counted, holidays not skipped. The period is September 28 to October 4: 7 days, with 1 Saturday and 1 Sunday, so 5 business days.
Other questions people ask
How do I count business days between two dates?
Count every day from the start date to the end date, then take away the Saturdays, the Sundays, and the federal holidays that fall on a weekday. October 2026 has 31 days, 9 of them weekend days, and Columbus Day on Monday, October 12, so it has 31 − 9 − 1 = 21 business days.
Are the start and end dates counted?
The start date is always counted. The end date is counted too unless you turn off “Count the end date”. So Monday to Friday of one week is 5 business days, or 4 without the end date.
Which holidays are skipped?
The 11 US federal holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. State holidays and days off your employer gives are not skipped.
What happens when a holiday falls on a weekend?
The day off moves, as for federal employees: a holiday on a Saturday is observed on the Friday before, and one on a Sunday on the Monday after. July 4, 2026 is a Saturday, so Friday, July 3 is skipped.
How many business days are in a year?
2026 has 365 days, 104 of them Saturdays and Sundays, and all 11 federal holidays fall on weekdays, so it has 365 − 104 − 11 = 250 business days.
What if the government gives an extra day off?
A president sometimes closes federal offices for an extra day by executive order, for example on Christmas Eve. Those days are not in the calculator, because they are announced a few weeks ahead. Take one day off the count if one falls in your period.