# How many business days? Counts the business days between two dates: the days that are not Saturdays, Sundays, or US federal holidays, and lists the holidays skipped. - Page: https://www.acalculator.org/days/business-days-calculator - JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/days/business-days-calculator.json - Version: cb8b18080265 ## Default answer 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. ## Inputs | Key | Label | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | start | Start date | The first day of the count. It is counted. | | end | End date | The last day of the count. It is counted when “Count the end date” is on. | | includeEnd | Count the end date | Count the end date as a day of the period. | | holidays | Skip US federal holidays | Leave the US federal holidays (as observed) out of the business days. | ## Outputs | Key | Label | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | business | Business days | Days in the period that are not a Saturday, a Sunday, or (when skipped) a US federal holiday. | | calendar | Calendar days | Every day in the period, weekends and holidays included. | | weekend | Weekend days | Saturdays and Sundays in the period. | | holidayCount | Federal holidays | US federal holidays, on their observed weekday, in the period. | | holidayList | Holidays skipped | The US federal holidays in the period, with their observed dates. | ## Method business days = calendar days in the period − Saturdays and Sundays − US federal holidays observed on a weekday in the period ## Assumptions - 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 1. start = 2026-10-01, end = 2026-10-31, includeEnd = yes, holidays = yes gives business = 21, calendar = 31, weekend = 9, holidayCount = 1, holidayList = 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. 2. start = 2026-06-29, end = 2026-07-10, includeEnd = yes, holidays = yes gives business = 9, calendar = 12, weekend = 2, holidayCount = 1, holidayList = 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. 3. start = 2026-01-01, end = 2026-12-31, includeEnd = yes, holidays = yes gives business = 250, calendar = 365, weekend = 104, holidayCount = 11. Source: OPM federal holidays 2026 (https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/): 11 holidays, all on weekdays. 4. start = 2026-09-28, end = 2026-10-05, includeEnd = no, holidays = no gives business = 5, calendar = 7, weekend = 2, holidayCount = 0. ## FAQ ### 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. ## Sources - U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Federal Holidays: the holiday dates and the rule for holidays on a weekend. https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/federal-holidays/ - 5 U.S.C. 6103, Holidays: the list of US federal holidays. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/5/6103