How-To Guide

How to Calculate Days Between Dates

Learn the simple formula for calculating the number of days between any two dates, including leap year handling.

Published by HowUntil Editorial Team

Calculating the number of days between two dates is straightforward once you understand the formula. Use HowUntil's date difference calculator to do this instantly.

The Formula

Days Between = Target Date − Start Date

For example: December 25 − September 19 = 97 days (counting calendar days, not including September 19).

Manual Calculation

To calculate manually:

  1. Count days remaining in the start month
  2. Add days for each complete month in between
  3. Add days in the final month up to the target date
  4. Account for any leap years if February is crossed

Leap Year Handling

If your date range includes February 29 in a leap year, that adds one extra day to your count. HowUntil handles this automatically.

Business Days vs. Calendar Days

Calendar days count every day including weekends. Business days (also called working days) exclude Saturdays and Sundays. Use the business days calculator for work-related deadlines.

Put It Into Practice

Use our free, instant calculator tools to run these calculations on your exact dates without any manual math.

Date Difference Calculator

Calculate the exact number of days, weeks, and months between two dates.

Calculate

How Many Days Until?

Calculate the exact number of days until any future (or past) date.

Calculate

Days Since Calculator

Find out how many days have passed since any date in the past.

Calculate