Counting days: inclusive or not?
By default the calculator counts the days from the start date to the end date – from Monday to Friday is 4 days. Some things count both ends: a hotel stay from Monday to Friday is 4 nights, but a holiday “Monday to Friday inclusive” is 5 days of leave. Tick Count the end date as well for the inclusive count.
Weekdays
Weekdays are Monday to Friday. The calculator does not know about bank holidays (they differ between England, Scotland, the UAE and other countries), so take those off yourself – for example for a notice period or delivery estimate.
Worked example: from 1 January 2026 to 25 December 2026.
- 358 days (51 weeks and 1 day), or 11 months and 24 days.
- Counting both dates: 359 days.
- Weekdays (Monday to Friday, not counting the end date): 256.
Months are not all the same length
“Months and days” counts whole calendar months first (for example 1 January to 1 February is one month, whatever its length), then the days left over. That is the way contracts and notice periods are usually counted.
Common uses
- Countdowns to a wedding, exam or trip.
- Notice periods and contract lengths.
- How long you have worked somewhere – for UAE gratuity, try the gratuity calculator.
Notice periods and deadlines
Many deadlines are counted in calendar days, but some are in working days. For example, a “28-day” refund window usually means calendar days, while “5 working days” for a bank transfer means Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays. Read the wording carefully, then use the weekday count above and take off any bank holidays that fall in the period.
Leap years
A leap year has 366 days, with 29 February. The calculator uses the real calendar, so a period that crosses 29 February (such as 28 February 2024 to 1 March 2024) is counted correctly as 2 days. The next leap years are 2028 and 2032.
If you need the exact age of a person rather than the gap between two dates, use the age calculator, which also shows the next birthday.