NETWORKDAYS Function (LibreOffice Calc)
The NETWORKDAYS function returns the number of working days between two dates, excluding weekends and optionally holidays. It is essential for project planning, SLA tracking, payroll, and business calendars.
Compatibility
▾| Excel | ✔ |
| Gnumeric | ✔ |
| Google_sheets | ✔ |
| Libreoffice | ✔ |
| Numbers | ✔ |
| Onlyoffice | ✔ |
| Openoffice | ✔ |
| Wps | ✔ |
| Zoho | ✔ |
What the NETWORKDAYS Function Does ▾
- Counts working days between two dates
- Automatically excludes weekends
- Optionally excludes holidays
- Includes both start and end dates in the count
- Works with serial dates or text dates
It is designed to be accurate, business‑aware, and ideal for planning and analytics.
Syntax ▾
NETWORKDAYS(start_date; end_date; [holidays])
Arguments
-
start_date:
The beginning date. -
end_date:
The ending date. -
holidays (optional):
A range of dates to exclude.
Basic Examples ▾
Count working days between two dates
=NETWORKDAYS("2024-01-01"; "2024-01-31")
Using cell references
=NETWORKDAYS(A1; B1)
Count working days excluding holidays
=NETWORKDAYS(A1; B1; C1:C10)
Count working days until today
=NETWORKDAYS(A1; TODAY())
Advanced Examples ▾
Count working days in a month
=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(YEAR(A1);MONTH(A1);1); EOMONTH(A1;0))
Count working days in a quarter
=NETWORKDAYS(A1; EDATE(A1;3)-1)
Count working days in a fiscal year
=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(YEAR(A1);4;1); DATE(YEAR(A1)+1;3;31))
Count working days between two timestamps (ignore time)
=NETWORKDAYS(INT(A1); INT(B1))
Count working days from text dates
=NETWORKDAYS(DATEVALUE(A1); DATEVALUE(B1))
Count working days from imported CSV timestamps
=NETWORKDAYS(DATEVALUE(LEFT(A1;10)); DATEVALUE(LEFT(B1;10)))
Count working days from Excel serial dates stored as text
=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(1899;12;30)+VALUE(A1); DATE(1899;12;30)+VALUE(B1))
Count working days remaining in the year
=NETWORKDAYS(TODAY(); DATE(YEAR(TODAY());12;31))
Count working days elapsed in the year
=NETWORKDAYS(DATE(YEAR(TODAY());1;1); TODAY())
Holiday Handling ▾
Holiday list example
| C1 | C2 | C3 |
|---|---|---|
| 2024‑01‑01 | 2024‑02‑19 | 2024‑04‑01 |
Use:
=NETWORKDAYS(A1; B1; C1:C3)
Holidays must be real dates
Use DATEVALUE if imported as text.
Holidays override weekends only if they fall on weekdays
Edge Cases and Behavior Details ▾
NETWORKDAYS returns an integer
Accepts:
- Real dates
- Serial numbers
- DATEVALUE outputs
- ISO date strings
Invalid text → Err:502
Time components are ignored
Start and end dates are inclusive
Negative results allowed if end_date < start_date
NETWORKDAYS always uses Saturday–Sunday weekends
For custom weekends, use NETWORKDAYS.INTL.
NETWORKDAYS of an error → error propagates
Common Errors and Fixes ▾
Err:502 — Invalid argument
Cause:
- Text not recognized as a date
- Holidays contain invalid values
Fix:
- Wrap with DATEVALUE
- Clean text with TRIM or SUBSTITUTE
- Ensure holidays are real dates
Wrong result due to text dates
Fix:
- Normalize with DATEVALUE
Holidays not excluded
Cause:
- Holiday list contains text, not dates
Fix:
- Convert with DATEVALUE or VALUE
Best Practices ▾
- Use NETWORKDAYS for standard business‑day counting
- Use NETWORKDAYS.INTL for custom weekend definitions
- Normalize text dates with DATEVALUE
- Store holidays in a dedicated range or named range
- Use NETWORKDAYS with EDATE/EOMONTH for period analysis
- Use NETWORKDAYS with ROW() or SEQUENCE() for schedules
NETWORKDAYS is your business‑day counting engine — perfect for project timelines, SLAs, payroll, logistics, and any workflow that depends on accurate working‑day totals.
Related Patterns and Alternatives ▾
- Use NETWORKDAYS.INTL for custom weekends
- Use WORKDAY for business‑day offsets
- Use WORKDAY.INTL for custom weekend offsets
- Use DATE for constructing comparison dates
- Use DAYS for calendar‑day differences
By mastering NETWORKDAYS and its companion functions, you can build powerful, reliable, and fully business‑aware date‑analysis workflows in LibreOffice Calc.