Business Days Calculator
Count working days between two dates, or add/subtract business days to a date, skipping weekends and US federal holidays by default.
Business days between two dates
Add business days to a date
Once you know how many working days a project or payroll period spans, ShiftSums' hours between times calculator adds up the actual hours worked within each of those days.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a business day here?
Monday through Friday, excluding the 11 US federal holidays (New Year's Day, MLK Day, Presidents Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas), using their observed dates when the actual date falls on a weekend. Both the holiday skip and the weekend skip can be turned off.
Why might my company's business days differ from this?
Not every employer observes every federal holiday, and some add others (a company holiday, a regional holiday, a floating day). This calculator uses the standard federal list as a reasonable default — turn off "skip holidays" if you just need Monday-Friday counted, or treat the result as a starting point and adjust for your specific calendar.
How does a holiday landing on a weekend get handled?
Using the standard federal observance rule: a holiday that falls on a Saturday is observed the preceding Friday, and one that falls on a Sunday is observed the following Monday. July 4, 2026 (a Saturday) is observed Friday, July 3, for example.
Can I count backward, or find a date some business days in the past?
Yes — the "add business days" tool accepts a negative number, which subtracts business days instead, skipping the same weekends and holidays going backward.