How many working days are left before a due date? NETWORKDAYS from today to the deadline counts business days only — the realistic runway, not raw calendar days.
The example
Working days from today (Jun 17) to a Jul 1 deadline.
| A | B | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deadline | Workdays left |
| 2 | 7/1/2026 | 11 |
The formula
Business days from now to the due date:
How it works
NETWORKDAYS gives the working runway:
NETWORKDAYS(TODAY(), deadline)counts working days from today through the deadline.- Both endpoints are included if they’re working days — subtract 1 if you don’t want to count today.
- Add a holidays range as the 3rd argument to exclude company holidays.
- Because it uses TODAY(), the count drops each working day automatically.
Past deadlines go negative. If the deadline has passed, NETWORKDAYS returns a negative number (overdue working days). Wrap with MAX(0, …) if you want to floor it at zero, or use the sign to flag overdue items.
Try it: interactive demo
Pick a deadline; see working days left from today.
Variations
Exclude today
Start tomorrow:
Floor at zero
No negatives:
Calendar days left
All days:
Pitfalls & errors
Inclusive of both ends. NETWORKDAYS counts today and the deadline if they’re workdays — adjust by 1 to match your definition.
Negative when overdue. A past deadline returns a negative count; clamp with MAX(0,…) if undesired.
Holidays. Add the holidays range or the count overstates the real runway.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
How do I count working days until a deadline in Excel?
How do I exclude today from the count?
Why is my count negative?
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