Lesson#254: Excel NETWORKDAYS Function: Mastering Workday Calculations

When it comes to calculating workdays in Excel, the NETWORKDAYS function is a must-know tool for anyone dealing with project timelines, payroll, or any situation that requires counting business days. In this expert-level guide, we’ll explore the intricacies of the NETWORKDAYS function and provide you with more than 10 practical examples to help you become a workday calculation pro.

Understanding the NETWORKDAYS Function

Before we dive into the examples, let’s establish the foundation:

• NETWORKDAYS Function: This Excel function is used to calculate the number of working days (business days) between two dates. It considers weekends and optionally, a list of holidays.

The NETWORKDAYS function is incredibly versatile, making it an essential asset for financial analysts, project managers, and HR professionals. Now, let’s unravel its capabilities with real-world examples.

Step-by-Step Tutorial

Example 1: Counting Workdays in a Standard Workweek

Let’s start with a basic scenario. You want to calculate the number of workdays between two dates without considering any holidays.

Task: Calculate the workdays between January 3, 2023, and January 13, 2023.

Using NETWORKDAYS Function:

=NETWORKDAYS("2023-01-03", "2023-01-13")

In this formula:

• "2023-01-03" represents the start date.
• "2023-01-13" represents the end date.

The result will be 8, as there are eight working days between these two dates.

Example 2: Counting Workdays with Custom Weekends

In some countries, the workweek doesn’t follow the standard Monday to Friday. Let’s calculate workdays in a scenario where the weekend falls on Friday and Saturday.

Task: Calculate the workdays between April 20, 2023, and April 30, 2023, considering Friday and Saturday as the weekend.

Using NETWORKDAYS Function:

=NETWORKDAYS("2023-04-20", "2023-04-30", 1111110)

In this formula:

• "2023-04-20" represents the start date.
• "2023-04-30" represents the end date.
• 1111110 is a custom weekend parameter, where 1 represents Sunday, and 0 represents a weekend day.

The result will be 6, as there are six working days between these two dates.

Example 3: Counting Workdays with Holidays

In real-world scenarios, you often need to consider holidays when calculating workdays. Let’s calculate workdays between two dates while considering a list of holidays.

Task: Calculate the workdays between May 1, 2023, and May 15, 2023, considering May 8, 2023, as a holiday.

Using NETWORKDAYS Function:

=NETWORKDAYS("2023-05-01", "2023-05-15", "2023-05-08")

In this formula:

• "2023-05-01" represents the start date.
• "2023-05-15" represents the end date.
• "2023-05-08" represents the holiday date.

The result will be 11, as there are eleven working days between these two dates, excluding the holiday.

Example 4: Counting Workdays with a Date Range

Sometimes, you may need to calculate workdays within a specific date range. Let’s find the number of workdays within a range between two months.

Task: Calculate the workdays between June 1, 2023, and July 31, 2023.

Using NETWORKDAYS Function:

=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(2023, 6, 1), DATE(2023, 7, 31))

In this formula:

• DATE(2023, 6, 1) represents the start date.
• DATE(2023, 7, 31) represents the end date.

The result will be 44, as there are 44 working days within this date range.

Example 5: Calculating Workdays in Different Workweeks

In some situations, you might need to calculate workdays considering different workweeks for different regions or teams.

Task: Calculate the workdays between November 1, 2023, and November 15, 2023, considering a custom weekend pattern.

• In Region A, the workweek is from Monday to Friday.
• In Region B, the workweek is from Tuesday to Saturday.

Using NETWORKDAYS Function:

=NETWORKDAYS("2023-11-01", "2023-11-15", "2023-11-08, 1010101")

In this formula:

• "2023-11-01" represents the start date.
• "2023-11-15" represents the end date.
• "2023-11-08" represents a holiday.
• "1010101" is a custom weekend parameter, where 1 represents workdays, and 0 represents weekend days.

The result will be 8, as there are eight working days between these two dates, considering the specific workweek patterns.

Example 6: Calculating Workdays with Dynamically Changing Holidays

In some cases, holidays change from year to year. You can use the NETWORKDAYS function to calculate workdays while referencing a list of changing holidays.

Task: Calculate the workdays between November 1, 2023, and November 15, 2023, considering a list of changing holidays for the years 2023 and 2024.

Using NETWORKDAYS Function:

=NETWORKDAYS("2023-11-01", "2023-11-15", {"2023-11-02","2024-11-14"})

In this formula:

• "2023-11-01" represents the start date.
• "2023-11-15" represents the end date.
• {"2023-11-02","2024-11-14"} represents a list of changing holidays.

The result will be 9, as there are nine working days between these two dates, considering the changing holidays.

Example 7: Calculating Workdays in Multi-Year Projects

For long-term projects that span multiple years, you can calculate workdays across different years.

Task: Calculate the workdays between December 1, 2022, and March 15, 2024.

Using NETWORKDAYS Function:

=NETWORKDAYS("2022-12-01", "2024-03-15")

In this formula:

• "2022-12-01" represents the start date.
• "2024-03-15" represents the end date.

The result will be 316, as there are 316 working days between these two dates, spanning across multiple years.

Example 8: Calculating Workdays with Partial Days

In some scenarios, you may want to consider partial days, where a day might only be partially a workday.

Task: Calculate the workdays between July 1, 2023, and July 10, 2023, considering that July 1st and July 10th are half workdays.

Using NETWORKDAYS Function:

=NETWORKDAYS("2023-07-01", "2023-07-10", {"2023-07-01","2023-07-10"})

In this formula:

• "2023-07-01" and "2023-07-10" represent the dates when workdays are partially considered.

The result will be 8, considering the two partial workdays.

Example 9: Counting Workdays with Custom Weekends and Holidays

In complex work environments, you may need to consider both custom weekends and holidays.

Task: Calculate the workdays between September 1, 2023, and September 30, 2023, considering Thursday and Friday as the weekend days and including September 8, 2023, as a holiday.

Using NETWORKDAYS Function:

=NETWORKDAYS("2023-09-01", "2023-09-30", "2023-09-08, 1101110")

In this formula:

• "2023-09-01" represents the start date.
• "2023-09-30" represents the end date.
• "2023-09-08" represents a holiday.
• "1101110" is a custom weekend parameter, where 1 represents workdays, and 0 represents weekend days.

The result will be 16, as there are sixteen working days between these two dates.

Example 10: Calculating Workdays with Future Holidays

For planning purposes, you may need to calculate workdays considering upcoming holidays.

Task: Calculate the workdays between July 1, 2023, and July 15, 2023, considering July 4, 2023, as a holiday even though it’s in the future.

Using NETWORKDAYS Function:

=NETWORKDAYS("2023-07-01", "2023-07-15", "2023-07-04")

In this formula:

• "2023-07-01" represents the start date.
• "2023-07-15" represents the end date.
• "2023-07-04" represents a future holiday.

The result will be 9, as there are nine working days between these two dates, considering the upcoming holiday.

Conclusion

The NETWORKDAYS function in Excel is a powerful tool for calculating workdays, whether you’re working with standard workweeks, custom weekends, or a combination of both. By considering holidays and even future holidays, you can accurately determine the number of business days within a given timeframe. Incorporate these examples into your Excel skills, and you’ll have the expertise to tackle workday calculations in any scenario.

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