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NETWORKDAYS and WORKDAY in Excel (with Sunday-Only Weekends)

By , Excel & Data Analytics trainer LinkedIn Published: Last updated:

Salman Roadways promises delivery in 5 working days. An order comes on Thursday 01-10-2026. Friday 02-10-2026 (Gandhi Jayanti) is a holiday and the office closes on Saturdays and Sundays. Counting on a calendar is slow and error-prone; WORKDAY gives the answer at once: Friday 09-10-2026.

NETWORKDAYS counts working days between two dates (both dates included). WORKDAY adds a number of working days to a date. Both skip Saturday and Sunday and any holiday dates you list. The .INTL versions let you choose a different weekend, such as Sunday only.

Download the practice file (networkdays-workday.xlsx)

Excel file, 6 KB. It has the sample data used below. All numbers in this workbook are fictional teaching data, not real company figures.

Quick answer

  1. Type your holiday dates in a column and name it Holidays (Name Box > Holidays > Enter).
  2. Working days in October: =NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,Holidays) with 01-10-2026 in A2 and 31-10-2026 in B2.
  3. Due date 5 working days after A2: =WORKDAY(A2,5,Holidays).
  4. Office closed only on Sunday? Use =WORKDAY.INTL(A2,5,11,Holidays).
  5. Format the WORKDAY result as a date.
=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,Holidays)
=WORKDAY(A2,5,Holidays)
=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A2,B2,11,Holidays)

The example

CellValue
A2 Start01-10-2026 (Thursday)
B2 End31-10-2026 (Saturday)
Holidays02-10-2026 (Gandhi Jayanti), 20-10-2026 (company holiday, example)
QuestionFormulaAnswer
Working days in October (Sat + Sun off)=NETWORKDAYS(A2,B2,Holidays)20
Working days, Sunday off only=NETWORKDAYS.INTL(A2,B2,11,Holidays)25
5 working days after 01-10 (Sat + Sun off)=WORKDAY(A2,5,Holidays)09-10-2026
5 working days after 01-10 (Sunday off only)=WORKDAY.INTL(A2,5,11,Holidays)08-10-2026

How WORKDAY counts

  1. It does not count the start day itself.
  2. Friday 02-10 is a holiday, so it is skipped.
  3. Saturday and Sunday are skipped.
  4. Monday 05-10 is day 1, Tuesday day 2, Wednesday day 3, Thursday day 4.
  5. Friday 09-10-2026 is day 5, so that is the due date.

Weekend codes for the .INTL versions

CodeWeekend
1 (default)Saturday and Sunday
11Sunday only
17Saturday only
"0000011"Same as 1, written as Monday-to-Sunday flags (1 = off)
"0000001"Sunday only, written as flags

The seven-character text starts with Monday. "0100001" would mean Tuesday and Sunday off, useful for shops with a mid-week holiday.

Common mistakes

  • Holiday dates typed as text. They must be real dates, or they are ignored.
  • Forgetting that NETWORKDAYS includes both the start and end dates.
  • Seeing a number like 46304 instead of a date: format the cell with Home > Number Format > Short Date.

Ravindra Bagale's Tip

Keep one Holidays list for the whole company on its own sheet and name it. Every due-date and leave formula then uses the same list, and you update it once a year.

Practice task

  1. Open the Dates sheet. Check E2 shows 20 working days.
  2. Check E4 shows 09-10-2026.
  3. Delete the 20-10-2026 holiday. E2 becomes 21.
  4. Undo, then change the start date to 05-10-2026 and read the new due date.
  5. Try weekend code 17 (Saturday only) in the NETWORKDAYS.INTL formula.

Learn it properly

Course lessons:

Related guides: Calculate Age and Years of Service in Excel (DATEDIF, YEARFRAC) · SUMIFS with Dates: Total Between Two Dates or for One Month · Named Ranges in Excel: Name a Cell or List and Use It in Formulas

Frequently asked questions

Does NETWORKDAYS include the start date?

Yes, both the start and the end date are counted if they are working days.

How do I make Sunday the only weekend?

Use NETWORKDAYS.INTL or WORKDAY.INTL with weekend code 11.

Can WORKDAY go backwards?

Yes. Use a negative number: =WORKDAY(A2,-3,Holidays) gives 3 working days before.

Why does WORKDAY show a number?

The result is a date serial number. Format the cell as a date.