Learn how to calculate how much time has passed between two dates, days or months or years, using Excel’s simple formulas.
Using Excel to calculate the quantity of days, months or years between two given dates is very simple. There are several ways to carry out this calculation, each including their own functions that will help calculate working days. In this special, we will learn the most common methods.
Counting the days between two dates in Excel
Calculating the days that have passed between two dates in Excel is as simple as subtracting the two dates. The Excel formula to do so is:
Date2 - Date1 = time passed
For example, if we want to calculate how much time has passed between July 15th 2014 and the start of that same year, the calculation would be:
15/07/2014 - 01/01/2014 = 195
As a general rule, always subtract the earlier date from the later. If you do the calculation the other way, you will still be given the correct number of days but in negative form.
Counting working days between two dates in Excel
With the previous calculation we figured out the total number of days that had passed between two given dates (including holidays). If you want to calculate the number of days between two dates excluding holidays, there is a different formula for Excel that you should use. Click here to find out how to calculate days passed between two dates.
Counting the months between two dates in Excel
If you would like to calculate the amount of months passed between two given dates, you need to use the Excel function for months:
MONTH
Using the same example as above, we can calculate the quantity of months passed between two given dates by subtracting the first date from the second and using the month function:
=MONTH(15/07/2014) - MONTH(01/01/2014)
However, this formula is only valid if both the months are in the same year. If they are from different years, we need to use the Excel function for years:
YEAR
An example of subtracting two dates from different years:
=(YEAR(10/12/2008)-YEAR(2/9/2007))*12+MONTH(10/12/2008)-MONTH(2/9/2007)
In this example, first you need to subtract the years and then you find the difference between the months.
Counting the years between two dates in Excel
Finally, if you want to find out the number of years passed between two determined dates, simply use the following Excel function we have already been introduced to:
YEAR
With this, we can subtract two dates in a similar manner:
=YEAR(10/12/2008)-YEAR(2/9/2007)
