How working days are counted
List every day from the start to the end date (leaving out an end you chose not to include). Remove weekend days, then federal-holiday days off, then your own days off. Each day is removed once. What is left is the working-day count.
Working days = days counted − weekend days − holidays − your days off
Example: over the year end
Mon, Dec 21, 2026 to Mon, Jan 4, 2027, both ends included.
- Days counted: 15
- Weekend days: Dec 26–27 and Jan 2–3 = 4
- Federal holidays: Fri, Dec 25, 2026 (Christmas Day) and Fri, Jan 1, 2027 (New Year’s Day) = 2
- Working days: 15 − 4 − 2 = 9
Adding Thu, Dec 24 as a day off of your own takes it to 8.
Example: a holiday on a weekend
Independence Day 2026 is Saturday, July 4, so the day off is Friday, July 3 [1]. For Mon, Jun 29, 2026 to Fri, Jul 10, 2026:
- Days counted: 12
- Weekend days: Jul 4 and 5 = 2
- Holiday: Fri, Jul 3, 2026 = 1
- Working days: 12 − 2 − 1 = 9
Federal holidays used
Days off for most federal employees on a Monday-to-Friday week, from OPM [1]. The last row is New Year’s Day 2028, whose day off falls in 2027.
Show the 23 days off, Thu, Jan 1, 2026 to Fri, Dec 31, 2027
| Holiday | Date | Day off |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day | Thu, Jan 1, 2026 | Same day |
| Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Mon, Jan 19, 2026 | Same day |
| Washington’s Birthday | Mon, Feb 16, 2026 | Same day |
| Memorial Day | Mon, May 25, 2026 | Same day |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day | Fri, Jun 19, 2026 | Same day |
| Independence Day | Sat, Jul 4, 2026 | Fri, Jul 3, 2026 |
| Labor Day | Mon, Sep 7, 2026 | Same day |
| Columbus Day | Mon, Oct 12, 2026 | Same day |
| Veterans Day | Wed, Nov 11, 2026 | Same day |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thu, Nov 26, 2026 | Same day |
| Christmas Day | Fri, Dec 25, 2026 | Same day |
| New Year’s Day | Fri, Jan 1, 2027 | Same day |
| Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. | Mon, Jan 18, 2027 | Same day |
| Washington’s Birthday | Mon, Feb 15, 2027 | Same day |
| Memorial Day | Mon, May 31, 2027 | Same day |
| Juneteenth National Independence Day | Sat, Jun 19, 2027 | Fri, Jun 18, 2027 |
| Independence Day | Sun, Jul 4, 2027 | Mon, Jul 5, 2027 |
| Labor Day | Mon, Sep 6, 2027 | Same day |
| Columbus Day | Mon, Oct 11, 2027 | Same day |
| Veterans Day | Thu, Nov 11, 2027 | Same day |
| Thanksgiving Day | Thu, Nov 25, 2027 | Same day |
| Christmas Day | Sat, Dec 25, 2027 | Fri, Dec 24, 2027 |
| New Year’s Day | Sat, Jan 1, 2028 | Fri, Dec 31, 2027 |
Questions
What counts as a working day?
Here, a day from Monday to Friday that is not a federal holiday and not one of the days off you add. You can switch weekends or holidays off to count them as working days.
Which holidays are excluded?
What happens when a holiday falls on a weekend?
Are the start and end dates counted?
By default both are, like Excel’s NETWORKDAYS. Untick “Include start date” or “Include end date” to leave one out; the result shows how many days were looked at.
What if my dates are outside 2026 and 2027?
Weekends are still right, but holidays are only excluded where the data covers. The calculator warns you when your range goes outside that period.
How is this different from business days from today?
This one counts the days between two dates. The business days from today calculator goes the other way: it finds the date a number of business days away.