How many days are between two dates
To find the number of days between two dates, the calculator converts each date to a running day count and subtracts one from the other. From 1 March to 8 March is seven days when you count the gap, or eight days when you include both the first and the last day. Which one you want depends on the task, so the calculator lets you choose.
Days between, or including both ends?
This is the distinction that trips people up. If you are counting a duration — how long until an event, how many days a project runs — you usually want the gap, which excludes the end date. But if you are counting something like the number of nights in a hotel or the days of a holiday allowance where both the first and last day count, you include both ends and add one. Switch the count option to match what you are measuring.
Working days versus calendar days
Contracts, notice periods and delivery windows are often written in working days, which exclude Saturdays and Sundays. The calculator counts these separately, so you can see both the calendar total and the working-day total at once. Public holidays are not removed, because they differ by country and region — subtract any that apply to your situation.
Weeks, months and years
The same gap is shown several ways: in weeks, in approximate months, and broken down into years, months and days. The month figure is approximate because months vary in length, so for anything precise the day count is the number to trust. The years-months-days breakdown is the natural way to express a long span, such as the time between two anniversaries.
Related date tools
If instead of counting between two dates you want to add or subtract a fixed number of days from one date, the days from date calculator does that, and the date calculator combines both modes. For an exact age from a date of birth, use the age calculator.