Project deadlines, notice periods, delivery estimates and invoice terms often depend on working days, not calendar days. This calculator counts the working days between two dates, skipping weekends and the public holidays you enter, and works for Monday-to-Friday, Sunday-to-Thursday and six-day weeks.
How it works
Every day from the start date to the end date is counted, then weekend days for your work week are removed, then the public holidays you enter. Choose whether the end date itself counts.
Work weeks differ by country. Most countries use Monday to Friday. Saudi Arabia and several other countries use Sunday to Thursday, with a Friday–Saturday weekend. The UAE switched to Monday to Friday in 2022, with Friday afternoon working hours varying by sector.
Public holidays change every year and by country, and some follow the lunar calendar. Enter only the holidays that fall on a working day in your period, so they aren't subtracted twice.
Working hours assume 8 hours a day, a simple way to turn days into a capacity or billing estimate.
A worked example
From Thursday 1 October to Thursday 31 December 2026, counting both dates, there are 92 calendar days. With a Monday-to-Friday week, 26 of them are weekend days, leaving 66 weekdays. Subtracting 2 public holidays gives 64 working days, or 512 working hours.
Questions people ask
How many working days are there in a year?
About 260 weekdays with a Monday-to-Friday week (52 weeks × 5, plus one or two extra days). Subtract your country's public holidays to get working days.
Are business days the same as working days?
Usually, yes: days that aren't weekends or public holidays. Banks and contracts sometimes define them precisely, so check the wording when it matters.
Does this count the start date?
Yes. The start date is always counted, and you choose whether to count the end date too.
What is the work week in Saudi Arabia and the UAE?
Saudi Arabia uses Sunday to Thursday, with Friday and Saturday off. The UAE's federal government moved to Monday to Friday in 2022, and many private employers followed.
How do I add working days to a date?
Try end dates until the working-day count matches the number you need. For payment terms counted in calendar days, such as Net 30, use the Invoice Due Date Calculator instead.