Method
How the days between dates calculator works
Both dates are normalized to UTC calendar midnights before their millisecond difference is divided by 86,400,000.
Counting clock time within a day rather than calendar days? The hours calculator measures the hours and minutes between two times, the time card calculator totals a week of shifts, the add time calculator adds or subtracts durations, and the military time converter switches between 24-hour and AM/PM times. The rest are in the time calculators collection.
Example
Days between dates calculator example
2 September to 31 December 2026 is 120 elapsed days. Counted inclusively — treating both the 2nd and the 31st as days in the range — it is 121 days, which is the count a hire period, notice period or rental agreement usually means.
FAQ
Days between dates calculator FAQ
Is the end date included?
The primary result is exclusive: it counts the elapsed days between the two dates. The breakdown also gives the inclusive count, which adds one because it treats both the start and end dates as part of the range. Contracts, notice periods and hire agreements usually mean the inclusive count.
Which count should I use?
Use the exclusive count for elapsed time, such as how long ago something happened. Use the inclusive count when both endpoints are part of the thing being measured, such as the number of nights booked or days of leave taken.
Does this exclude weekends or public holidays?
No. Every calendar day is counted. Use the business days calculator to count Monday-to-Friday weekdays instead.
Are leap years handled?
Yes. The count walks real calendar dates, so 29 February is included in any range that spans it.
Why use UTC calendar midnights?
It prevents local daylight-saving changes from producing 23- or 25-hour calendar days, which would otherwise round a day count up or down.
Can the result be negative?
Yes. A negative value means the end date precedes the start date. The breakdown reports the span as a positive duration alongside it.
How do I count days from today to a future date?
Enter today as the start date, or use the days until date calculator, which fills in today automatically.
How do I convert a day count into years, months and days?
Dividing by 365 ignores leap years and uneven month lengths. The years between dates calculator counts complete calendar years, then the remaining months and days, for the same two dates.