What is a business day?

A business day is any day that is not a Saturday or Sunday. In most countries, business days run from Monday through Friday and represent the standard working week. Government offices, banks, courts, and most commercial businesses operate on business days. Some countries in the Middle East and North Africa observe a different weekend schedule, typically Friday and Saturday, so their business days may differ slightly.

Does this calculator account for public holidays?

No, this calculator excludes weekends (Saturday and Sunday) but does not automatically exclude public holidays. Public holidays vary widely by country, state, and region, making it impractical to include them in a universal tool. If a public holiday falls on a weekday within your calculated range, you should manually adjust the result by adding one extra business day for each holiday that falls on a weekday.

How do I convert business days to calendar days?

As a rough estimate, you can multiply the number of business days by 1.4 to get an approximate calendar day equivalent, since each 5-day work week spans 7 calendar days. For example, 10 business days is approximately 14 calendar days. However, this is an approximation. The exact number depends on which day of the week you start counting, which is why using a calculator like this one gives you a precise answer.

Why do banks and shipping companies use business days instead of calendar days?

Banks and shipping companies use business days because their operations, staff, and processing systems are typically only active Monday through Friday. A bank cannot process a wire transfer on Saturday if its clearing systems are offline, and a delivery driver may not work on Sunday. By quoting timelines in business days, these organizations set realistic expectations that align with their actual operating schedules and avoid overpromising on delivery or processing times.

What if my start date falls on a weekend?

If your start date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, the calculator begins counting business days from the next Monday. The weekend start date itself is not counted as a business day. For example, if you start on Saturday, March 7 and add 1 business day, the result will be Monday, March 9, because Saturday and Sunday are skipped before counting begins.

Business Day Calculator

Calculate the date after adding business days, or count business days between two dates. Excludes weekends automatically.

How Does the Business Day Calculator Work?

The Business Day Calculator is a versatile tool that operates in two distinct modes. In "Add Business Days" mode, you provide a start date and a number of business days, and the calculator determines the exact future date by skipping over Saturdays and Sundays. In "Count Business Days" mode, you provide a start date and an end date, and the calculator tells you how many business days (weekdays) fall between those two dates. Both modes automatically exclude weekends from the count, giving you accurate results for workplace planning, project scheduling, and deadline management.

Business days, also called working days, are the days of the week when most commercial and government operations take place. In most countries, business days run from Monday through Friday, while Saturday and Sunday are considered weekend days. Understanding the distinction between business days and calendar days is essential when dealing with contracts, shipping estimates, legal deadlines, and project timelines, because a "10-day" requirement can mean very different things depending on which type of day is being referenced.

Formulas

Add Business Days:
Result Date = Start Date + N business days (skipping Sat & Sun)

Count Business Days:
Business Days = Total weekdays (Mon–Fri) between Start Date and End Date

Calendar Days (for context):
Calendar Days = End Date − Start Date (all days including weekends)

Business Days vs Calendar Days

Calendar days include every day on the calendar: weekdays, weekends, and holidays. If someone says a package will arrive in 10 calendar days, you count every day including Saturday and Sunday. Business days, on the other hand, only include Monday through Friday. So 10 business days is equivalent to 14 calendar days (two full work weeks). This distinction matters enormously in legal contexts, shipping logistics, banking operations, and human resources. For instance, many banks process transactions only on business days, so a wire transfer initiated on Friday may not clear until the following Monday or Tuesday.

Why Weekends Are Excluded

Weekends are excluded from business day calculations because most offices, government agencies, courts, and financial institutions do not operate on Saturdays and Sundays. When a contract specifies "5 business days," the intention is to allow five actual working days for the task to be completed, reviewed, or processed. Including weekends would artificially shorten the effective time window and create unreasonable expectations. This convention is nearly universal across North America, Europe, and most of Asia, though the specific weekend days may differ in some Middle Eastern and North African countries, where Friday and Saturday are often the weekend.

A Note About Holidays

This calculator excludes weekends but does not automatically exclude public holidays. Public holidays vary by country, state, and even city, making it impractical to include them in a universal calculator. If your business or legal context requires excluding holidays, you should manually subtract any public holidays that fall on weekdays within the calculated date range. For example, if the calculator shows a result date of July 5 but July 4 is a public holiday in your jurisdiction, the effective result date would shift by one additional day.

Examples

Example 1: Adding 10 Business Days

If your start date is Monday, March 2, 2026 and you add 10 business days, the result date is Friday, March 13, 2026. The calculator skips the two weekends (March 7-8) and counts only the ten weekdays. In calendar days, this spans 11 days total, but only 10 of those are business days.

Example 2: Counting Business Days Between Two Dates

If you want to know how many business days fall between January 5, 2026 (Monday) and January 23, 2026 (Friday), the answer is 14 business days. There are 18 calendar days in this range, but 4 of those are weekend days (two Saturdays and two Sundays), leaving 14 working days.

Example 3: Shipping Estimate

An online retailer promises delivery within 5 business days. If you place your order on Thursday, March 5, 2026, the 5 business days are: Friday March 6, Monday March 9, Tuesday March 10, Wednesday March 11, and Thursday March 12. Your expected delivery date is Thursday, March 12, even though 7 calendar days have passed. The weekend of March 7-8 does not count toward the delivery window.

Common Uses for Business Day Calculations

Business day calculations are used across many industries and scenarios. Human resources departments use them to determine notice periods, probation end dates, and leave balances. Legal professionals rely on them for filing deadlines, discovery periods, and statute of limitations calculations. Project managers use business day counts to set realistic milestones and sprint durations. Banks and financial institutions process loan applications, wire transfers, and settlement periods in business days. Even consumers encounter business days when tracking package deliveries, waiting for refund processing, or scheduling appointments with government offices. Having an accurate business day calculator eliminates guesswork and prevents costly miscalculations in all of these contexts.

Working Days vs Business Days — Same Thing

"Working days" and "business days" mean the same thing: Monday through Friday, excluding Saturday and Sunday. UK, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland favor "working days"; US and Canada favor "business days". Banks, shipping carriers (UPS, FedEx, USPS, Royal Mail, Australia Post), HMRC, IRS, and ATO all use the two terms interchangeably. So "60 working days from today" and "60 business days from today" return the exact same date. This calculator handles both — type any number above and the result skips weekends automatically.

Quick Answers: 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30 Business Days From Today

Below are common timeframes you might be searching for. Exact dates depend on which day of the week you start counting and any public holidays in your region.

1 business day from today: tomorrow if today is Mon-Thu; Monday if today is Friday or weekend.
1 to 2 business days: 1 to 2 calendar days from a Mon-Wed start; 3-4 calendar days from a Thu-Fri start (weekend skipped).
3 business days from today: typically 3 calendar days (Mon-Thu start), or 5 calendar days if you start Thu/Fri.
3 to 5 business days from today: standard domestic shipping window. Mon start → Thu (3 BD) through next Mon (5 BD). Fri start → next Wed through next Fri.
5 business days from today: exactly 7 calendar days when starting Mon-Fri (1 work week).
7 business days from today: 9-11 calendar days depending on start day.
8 business days from today: 12 calendar days starting Monday (lands on next Wednesday); 11-12 from Tue-Wed start.
10 business days from today: 14 calendar days starting Monday — exactly 2 work weeks (lands on Friday 2 weeks out).
15 business days from today: 21 calendar days starting Monday — exactly 3 work weeks (lands on Friday 3 weeks out).
20 business days from today: 28 calendar days starting Monday — exactly 4 work weeks (lands on Friday 4 weeks out). This is the common HR/legal "1 month notice" working-days equivalent.
30 business days from today: 42 calendar days starting Monday — exactly 6 work weeks (lands on Friday 6 weeks out). Used for UK probation reviews and US healthcare claim processing windows.
60 business days from today: 84 calendar days starting Monday — exactly 12 work weeks (lands on Friday 12 weeks out, roughly 3 months). Common for IRS/HMRC tax processing and long-form legal discovery periods.
90 business days from today: 126 calendar days starting Monday — 18 work weeks, about 4.2 months.

Reference: N Business Days from Each Start Day

Use this table when your start day is fixed and you want to know the resulting weekday quickly. All entries assume no public holidays.

Start day	+1 BD	+2 BD	+3 BD	+5 BD	+10 BD
Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Next Monday	2 weeks later (Mon)
Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Next Tuesday	2 weeks later (Tue)
Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Next Monday	Next Wednesday	2 weeks later (Wed)
Thursday	Friday	Next Monday	Next Tuesday	Next Thursday	2 weeks later (Thu)
Friday	Next Monday	Next Tuesday	Next Wednesday	Next Friday	2 weeks later (Fri)

Add one extra business day for each public holiday falling on a weekday in your range. Use the calculator above for an exact date including holidays for your region.

Reference: Longer Counts (15, 20, 30, 60 Business Days)

For longer windows used in legal filings, HR notice periods, and tax/insurance processing — landing weekday from a Monday start.

Business days	Work weeks	Calendar days	Lands on (Mon start)
8 BD	1.6 weeks	12 calendar days	Next Wednesday
10 BD	2 weeks	14 calendar days	Friday (week 2)
15 BD	3 weeks	21 calendar days	Friday (week 3)
20 BD	4 weeks	28 calendar days	Friday (week 4)
30 BD	6 weeks	42 calendar days	Friday (week 6)
60 BD	12 weeks	84 calendar days	Friday (week 12)
90 BD	18 weeks	126 calendar days	Friday (week 18)

Use the calculator above for the exact date including weekends correctly excluded.

Last updated: 19 May 2026.