# Workday Count Calculator

> Count the working days between two dates with your own weekend pattern and the public holidays you enter, plus the working hours they add up to.

Category: Date, time & lifestyle · Applies to: Worldwide · Last updated: 2026-10-29
Interactive calculator: https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/workday-count-calculator

Working days are the calendar days in a range, minus the weekly days off, minus the public holidays that fall on working days. Both the start and end dates are counted.

Also called: Working days calculator, Business days calculator, Public holiday working days calculator.

## Inputs
- Start date (default 2026-12-01)
- End date (default 2026-12-31)
- Weekly days off (options: Saturday and Sunday, Friday and Saturday, Sunday only, Saturday only, Friday only, No weekly days off; default sat_sun)
- Public holidays (one per line) (default 2026-12-25
2026-12-26; optional)
- Hours per working day (unit h; default 8; optional)

## Results
- Working days
- Calendar days (inclusive)
- Weekly days off
- Holidays on working days
- Holidays that fall on days off
- Working hours

## Formula

```
Working days = Calendar days − Weekly days off − Holidays falling on working days
```

Where:
- Calendar days: every day from the start date to the end date, both included
- Weekly days off: days matching your weekend pattern
- Holidays: the dates you list; a holiday on a day off is not subtracted twice

## Worked example
1. December 2026 has 31 days and starts on a Tuesday, so it has 8 Saturdays and Sundays and 23 weekdays.
2. 25 December is a Friday, so it removes one working day: 23 − 1 = 22.
3. 26 December is a Saturday, already a day off, so it changes nothing.
4. 22 days × 8 hours = 176 working hours.

**Result:** December 2026 has 22 working days (176 hours at 8 hours a day) with a Saturday–Sunday weekend and holidays on 25 and 26 December.

## What the result means

Use the count for project schedules, leave planning and pro-rata pay. If your employer moves a holiday that falls on a weekend to the next working day (a “substitute day”), add that date to the list.

## Assumptions and limits
- Both the start and the end date are counted.
- Only the holidays you enter are excluded; no national calendar is built in.
- Half-day holidays and shift patterns that change week to week are not modelled.

## Questions

### Why are public holidays not filled in automatically?

They differ by country, state, region and sometimes employer, and some are announced each year. Entering them yourself keeps the count right for where you work.

### Is this the same as Excel’s NETWORKDAYS?

Yes for a Saturday–Sunday weekend: both dates are included and listed holidays are skipped. Other weekend patterns match NETWORKDAYS.INTL.

## Related calculators
- [Business Date Offset Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/business-date-offset-calculator)
- [Date Difference Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/date-difference-calculator)
- [Payroll Period Date Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/payroll-period-date-calculator)
- [Date Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/date-calculator)
- [Academic Year Working Days Calculator](https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/academic-year-working-days-calculator)

Source: GM¹X CalcVerse — https://calculators.geekmidst.com/calculators/workday-count-calculator
