How to How to Use NETWORKDAYS.INTL Function in Excel in Excel - Practical Guide

Learn how to use NETWORKDAYS.INTL to calculate working days between two dates while excluding weekends and custom holidays. This function is essential for project management, payroll, and HR calculations where you need accurate business day counts with flexibility to define your weekend schedule.

Why This Matters

Accurately calculating working days is critical for project timelines, deadline tracking, and payroll processing in professional environments. NETWORKDAYS.INTL offers flexibility beyond standard weekends, supporting different global work schedules.

Prerequisites

•Basic understanding of Excel formulas and cell references
•Two dates (start date and end date) to calculate between
•Knowledge of how your organization defines weekends

Step-by-Step Instructions

Open Excel and select your target cell

Click the cell where you want the working days result to appear, typically in a new column next to your date data.

Enter the NETWORKDAYS.INTL formula syntax

Type =NETWORKDAYS.INTL(start_date, end_date, [weekend], [holidays]) into the formula bar. Weekend parameter (1-7 or custom string) defines your non-working days; holidays optional.

Specify your start and end dates

Reference your start date cell (e.g., A2) and end date cell (e.g., B2), or type dates directly using DATE() function like =NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A2,B2,1).

Define the weekend pattern

Use weekend parameter 1 (Saturday-Sunday, default), 2 (Sunday-Monday), or 11-17 for custom patterns. Leave blank to use default, or use text codes like "0111111" for custom weekly schedules.

Add holidays and press Enter

Include an optional holidays range (e.g., C2:C10) containing dates to exclude, then press Enter to execute the formula and see your working day count.

Alternative Methods

Using NETWORKDAYS (standard version)

Use =NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays]) if you only need to exclude Saturdays and Sundays. It's simpler but lacks flexibility for custom weekend patterns.

Manual calculation with WEEKDAY

Combine SUMPRODUCT with WEEKDAY functions to manually count working days, though this is more complex and less efficient than NETWORKDAYS.INTL.

Tips & Tricks

✓Use named ranges for holidays (Formulas > Define Name) to make your formula cleaner and reusable across sheets.
✓Weekend parameter 1 is the global default; use 2 for Middle Eastern schedules (Sunday-Monday off).
✓Test your formula with a small date range first to ensure your weekend and holiday settings are correct before applying to large datasets.

Pro Tips

★Combine NETWORKDAYS.INTL with SUMPRODUCT to calculate total working days across multiple projects simultaneously.
★Use the weekend parameter 11-17 with single digits for precise control: 11=Mon-Fri, 12=Sun-Thu, etc.
★Create a dynamic holidays list using filtered data to automatically update working day calculations when holidays change.

Troubleshooting

Formula returns #VALUE! error

Check that your start_date and end_date are actual date values, not text. Convert text dates using DATEVALUE() or reformat cells as dates (Home > Format Cells > Date).

Working days count seems too high

Verify your holidays range includes all company holidays and that your weekend parameter matches your organization's schedule. Use Ctrl+` to view formula and debug.

Formula won't copy down to other rows

Use absolute references for holidays range ($C$2:$C$10) while keeping date cell references relative (A2, B2) to allow proper copying and adjustment.

Related Excel Formulas

NETWORKDAYS WEEKDAY DATEVALUE SUMPRODUCT DATE

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between NETWORKDAYS and NETWORKDAYS.INTL?

NETWORKDAYS always excludes Saturday-Sunday. NETWORKDAYS.INTL lets you customize which days are weekends, making it ideal for global schedules. NETWORKDAYS.INTL is available in Excel 2010 and later.

Can I include partial days in the calculation?

No, NETWORKDAYS.INTL only counts complete days. If you need to calculate hours or partial days, use additional formulas with HOUR or TIME functions to account for start/end times.

How do I exclude specific dates without creating a holidays list?

You must provide a holidays range; you cannot exclude individual dates inline. Create a helper column or named range with all dates to exclude, then reference it in the formula.

Does NETWORKDAYS.INTL work across different time zones?

NETWORKDAYS.INTL only works with dates, not times or time zones. For multi-timezone projects, convert all dates to your reference timezone first using appropriate time zone formulas.