Days Between Dates Calculator
Count elapsed calendar days from one midnight to another — project length, trip nights, or how long since a date — not an inclusive tally of both dates on a wall calendar.
How to use
- Set the start date (the day you leave, the contract start, or “today” if you type that date).
- Set the end date. A later end gives a positive count; an earlier end gives a negative count.
- Read elapsed days, then the same span as weeks plus leftover days.
- Add 1 yourself only if you need “how many dates appear including both ends.” Use Business Days to skip weekends.
How it works
Hotels, project plans and “how many days until” questions disagree about whether both dates count. This calculator reports the duration between the two midnights. 1 January to 2 January is 1 day. The same date twice is 0. A Friday-to-Monday weekend trip is 3 days (three nights if you think in nights).
If you need the number of calendar dates that appear when you include both ends — “the event runs 1–3 March, that is three dates” — add one to the result. 1 March to 3 March is 2 elapsed days and 3 inclusive dates.
Negative results mean the end is before the start. That is useful for “how many days ago” when you accidentally swapped the fields. Absolute duration is the same size.
Leap days count when they sit inside the span. 28 February 2024 to 1 March 2024 is 2 days because 2024 was a leap year. The same dates in 2023 are 1 day. The tool uses the civil Gregorian calendar, not working days and not a 30-day bank month.
Time of day is ignored. Two timestamps on the same calendar date still count as 0. For hours and minutes, use the time-duration calculator. Weekends stay in the count; the business-days tool removes Saturday and Sunday.
Formula
Days between = End date − Start date (in calendar days)
Worked examples
Consecutive days
2024-01-01 to 2024-01-02 → 1 day
A fortnight plus a day
2024-01-01 to 2024-01-16 → 15 days (2 weeks and 1 day)
Useful notes
- Elapsed days, not an inclusive count of both dates. Add 1 for inclusive.
- Weekends are included. Use Business Days to skip them.
- Leap days inside the span add one calendar day.
FAQ
- Does this include both the start and the end date?
No. It reports elapsed calendar days, so the same date is 0 and neighbouring dates are 1. Add 1 yourself if you need an inclusive count of dates.
- How are leap years handled?
February 29 is a real calendar day. Spans that include it are one day longer than the same span in a non-leap year.
- Can I get weeks instead of days?
Yes. The result also shows full weeks and remaining days for the same span.
- Is this the same as hotel nights?
Usually yes: check-in to check-out is elapsed midnights. A Fri–Mon stay is 3 nights / 3 days here.
- Does it skip public holidays?
No. Holidays count as ordinary calendar days. Only the business-days tool skips weekend days, and it still does not know local holidays.
Guides
Related tools
Days From Today
Find the exact calendar date a set number of days before or after a chosen start date.
Weeks Between Dates
See how many full weeks (and leftover days) separate two calendar dates.
Months Between Dates
Count whole calendar months between two dates, plus leftover days and a years-and-months split.
Business Days
Count weekdays between two dates, excluding Saturday and Sunday. Public holidays are not removed.
See all Date & Time tools.