Counting working days
Business days are the weekdays, Monday to Friday, when most offices, banks and courts are open. They are used for shipping estimates ("5–7 business days"), payment terms, notice periods and project plans.
Worked example
October 2026 has 31 days: 22 weekdays and 9 weekend days (it starts on a Thursday, so it has five Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays). From January 1 to December 25, 2026, not counting Christmas Day itself, there are 256 weekdays.
Holidays
This calculator does not know which holidays apply to you. US federal holidays add up to eleven days a year (New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas); subtract those that fall on weekdays in your range. State holidays and company closures vary.
Shipping and deadlines
"Ships in 3 business days" from a Thursday usually means Tuesday: Friday, Monday, Tuesday. To find a date a number of business days away, use the add-to-date calculator with the business days unit.
How this works
The page counts the calendar days between the two dates, including the end date unless you untick it. It then counts the weekdays: five for every full week, plus the weekdays in the leftover days, checking which day of the week each falls on. Weekend days are the difference. Holidays are not subtracted.
Frequently asked
How many business days are in a month?
Usually 20 to 23, depending on how the weekends fall, before holidays.
Are holidays excluded?
No. Subtract the public holidays that fall on weekdays in your range.
Is the start date counted?
Yes. The end date is counted too unless you untick the option.
How many business days are in a year?
260 or 261 weekdays, before holidays.
Sources
Reviewed Oct 17, 2026 · test vectors fixtures/calculators/date/business-days-calculator/