Business Days Calculator — Count Only Working Days
Enter a start date and an end date. Get the exact number of business days between them. This calculator skips Saturdays, Sundays, and all 11 US federal holidays automatically.
When to use this calculator:
- Contract deadlines that specify business days
- Legal filing windows (courts often use business days)
- Loan processing timelines (usually 3 to 5 business days)
- Shipping estimates with business-day carriers
- HR deadlines and project management sprints
| Calendar days | 60 |
| Business days | 40 |
| Weekend days | 18 |
| Federal holidays in range | 2 |
Federal holidays in this date range
- Columbus Day — October 12, 2026
- Veterans Day — November 11, 2026
What Counts as a Business Day
A business day is any day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or US federal holiday. There are 11 official US federal holidays:
- New Year's Day on January 1 (observed Thursday, January 1, 2026).
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday of January (January 19, 2026).
- Presidents Day (Washington's Birthday) on the third Monday of February (February 16, 2026).
- Memorial Day on the last Monday of May (May 25, 2026).
- Juneteenth National Independence Day on June 19 (Friday, June 19, 2026).
- Independence Day on July 4 (Saturday in 2026, observed Friday, July 3, 2026).
- Labor Day on the first Monday of September (September 7, 2026).
- Columbus Day on the second Monday of October (October 12, 2026).
- Veterans Day on November 11 (Wednesday, November 11, 2026).
- Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday of November (November 26, 2026).
- Christmas Day on December 25 (Friday, December 25, 2026).
When a federal holiday falls on Saturday, it is observed on the preceding Friday. When it falls on Sunday, it is observed on the following Monday. The calculator uses observed dates for the business day exclusion.
How Many Business Days Are in 2026?
The year 2026 has 365 days. Subtract 52 Saturdays, 52 Sundays, and the 9 federal holidays that fall on weekdays in 2026. Independence Day falls on a Saturday and is observed Friday, July 3, which removes that Friday. The total comes to 252 business days in 2026. The exact figure varies slightly based on how you count Saturday-observed-Friday holidays. The Bureau of Labor Statistics typically reports 260 to 262 business days per year depending on which holidays shift. For 2027, expect approximately 261 business days based on the 2027 calendar layout.
Common Uses
- Contract deadlines. A 5 business day clause means 5 working days, not 5 calendar days. From a Monday, the deadline would be the following Monday.
- Court filing windows. Federal court rules and many state court rules count business days for certain deadlines. Check Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6 for the rules on counting time. State rules vary.
- Loan processing. A 10 business day closing window from contract acceptance typically means about 14 calendar days.
- HR notice periods. Some HR processes count business days, including certain COBRA notice windows and leave request windows.
- Shipping estimates. Carriers like UPS and FedEx exclude weekends. A 3 business day shipment from a Friday arrives the following Wednesday.
- Project sprints. Agile teams sometimes count work in business days. A 2-week sprint contains 10 business days.
How the Math Works
The calculator iterates through every day between your start date and end date. For each day it checks whether the day is a Saturday or Sunday, and skips it if so. It then checks whether the date is in the federal holiday list using observed dates, and skips it if so. Otherwise it counts the day as a business day. The total is displayed instantly.
The calculator does not check state-specific holidays (such as Patriots Day in Massachusetts or Good Friday in some states), religious holidays not in the federal list, or company-specific holidays. For those, adjust the result manually.
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Frequently Asked Questions
The year 2026 has approximately 252 business days, accounting for 52 weekends (104 weekend days) and 9 federal holidays that fall on weekdays. Independence Day 2026 falls on Saturday and is observed Friday, July 3.
A business day is any Monday through Friday that is not a US federal holiday. There are 11 official US federal holidays. Juneteenth became the most recent addition when President Biden signed it into law on June 17, 2021.
No. The calculator only uses the 11 standard US federal holidays. State-specific holidays (such as Patriots Day, Good Friday, state election days, or Cesar Chavez Day in California) are not included. If your deadline is governed by state rules, check your state calendar.
Two calendar weeks contain 10 business days, assuming no federal holidays fall in the window. One federal holiday reduces the count to 9. Two reduce it to 8.
Yes. Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19) became the 11th federal holiday on June 17, 2021. It is included in the Business Days Calculator.
Business days and working days are used interchangeably in most contexts. Both mean Monday through Friday, excluding federal holidays. The term business days is more common in legal and financial contracts. Neither term has a universally fixed legal definition.
Enter today as your start date and adjust the end date until the business days count reaches 30. 30 business days from a typical weekday is approximately 42 calendar days, or about 6 weeks. The calculator shows which federal holidays fall inside your range.