While working with Excel, we are able to count only the workdays in any month by excluding the weekends and specified holidays. This step by step tutorial will assist all levels of Excel users in calculating the number of workdays per month using the NETWORKDAYS and EOMONTH functions.
Figure 1. Final result: Workdays per month
Final formula: =NETWORKDAYS(B3,EOMONTH(B3,0),$E$3:$E$12)
Syntax of NETWORKDAYS Function
NETWORKDAYS returns the number of working days between the start date and end date; excluding weekends and any identified holidays
=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])
- start_date – a date representing the start date; can be a date enclosed in quotation marks or a cell reference
- end_date – a date representing the end date
- holidays – Optional; list of dates that represent state or federal holidays; holidays are excluded by the NETWORKDAYS function
- Dates must be between January 1, 1900 and December 31, 9999
- The function returns the #VALUE! error value when dates are invalid
Syntax of EOMONTH Function
EOMONTH adds or subtracts a certain number of months before or after a specified date and returns a date falling on the last day of the month
=EOMONTH(start_date, months)
- start_date – a date representing the start date; can be a date enclosed in quotation marks or a cell reference
- months – the number of months either before or after the start date; a positive value results to a future date while a negative value results to a past date
- If months is zero, the resulting month is the same month as the start date
- The date must be between January 1, 1900 and December 31, 9999
- If start_date is not a valid date, EOMONTH returns the #VALUE! error value
Setting up our Data
Our table consists of two columns: Month (column B) and Workdays (column C). The dates in column B are actually the first days of each month, formatted to show only the month name. We will be using the values in column B for our formula.
In columns E and F, we have the list of dates for the holidays in 2019. We want to calculate the number of workdays for each month, excluding the weekends and the holidays. Results will be recorded in column C.
Figure 2. Sample data to get workdays per month
Workdays per month
In order to calculate the number of workdays per month for the year 2019, we will be using a formula with the NETWORKDAYS and EOMONTH functions. Let us follow these steps:
Step 1. Select cell C3
Step 2. Enter the formula: =NETWORKDAYS(B3,EOMONTH(B3,0),$E$3:$E$12)
Step 3. Press ENTER
Step 4. Copy the formula in C3 to cells C4:C14 by clicking the “+” icon at the bottom-right corner of cell C3 and dragging it down
The dollar signs “$” are used to fix the range E3:E12 which contains the list of dates for the holidays.
Figure 3. Entering the formula for number of workdays in January
Our main formula is the NETWORKDAYS function, which counts the workdays between the start date and end date, excluding weekends and holidays.
The start date is the 1st day of the month, B3, while the end date is given by the EOMONTH function. EOMONTH returns the last day of a month. The list of holidays is the range E3:E12.
For the month of January, the resulting number of workdays is 21, as displayed in cell C3.
Below table shows the results for the number of workdays per month for the year 2019.
Figure 4. Output: Workdays per month
Most of the time, the problem you will need to solve will be more complex than a simple application of a formula or function. If you want to save hours of research and frustration, try our live Excelchat service! Our Excel Experts are available 24/7 to answer any Excel question you may have. We guarantee a connection within 30 seconds and a customized solution within 20 minutes.
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