Whether a countdown includes today depends on the counting method you use. HowUntil uses the most intuitive and widely accepted method by default.
Default Method: Exclusive Start Date
By default, HowUntil counts from after today to the target date. This means:
- If today is January 1 and your target is January 2 → 1 day
- If today is January 1 and your target is January 31 → 30 days
- If today is the target date → 0 days ("Today!")
Inclusive Counting
Some people prefer to count both the start date and the end date. Using this method:
- January 1 to January 2 → 2 days
- January 1 to January 31 → 31 days
HowUntil provides an optional "Include today" toggle so you can switch to inclusive counting if needed.
Which Method Is Right?
For most practical purposes — project deadlines, event planning, countdowns — the exclusive method (don't count today) is more natural. Think of it as asking "how many more nights until Christmas?" rather than "how many days including today?"
Put It Into Practice
Use our free, instant calculator tools to run these calculations on your exact dates without any manual math.