WORKDAY.INTL in Google Sheets

What is WORKDAY.INTL in Google Sheets?

WORKDAY.INTL in Google Sheets is a function that calculates a future or past workday by the addition or subtraction of a specific number of working days to a supplied start date. It is similar to the WORKDAY function but gives more control as it helps one customize by excluding specific holidays and supplying which days of the week are considered weekends.

As one can guess, this will be extremely helpful when scheduling tasks, for payroll and in planning projects. In such scenarios, you can skip weekends or any non-working days. For example, let is fine the date of the 100^th working day after January 1, 2025, excluding weekends (Saturday and Sunday). We use the following formula:

=WORKDAY.INTL(DATE(2025,1,1), 100)

This returns the date 100 business days after Jan 1, skipping the standard weekends.

Syntax

The syntax of the WORKDAY.INTL function in Google Sheets is as follows:

=WORKDAY.INTL(start_date, num_days, [weekend], [holidays])

Arguments:

• start_date: The date to start the counting from.
• num_days: The number of working days. To move forward, we give a positive number, and to move backward, we give a negative number.
• weekend (optional): A code or 7-character string that defines the days that are weekends. By default, Saturday and Sunday are taken as the weekend, but the user can customize this value by using the 7-character string. For instance, “0000110” would mean that Thursday and Friday are considered weekends.
• holidays (optional): A range of one or more dates to treat as non-working days.

Weekend options:

• 1 – Saturday & Sunday
• 2 – Sunday & Monday
• …
• 7- Friday & Saturday
• “0000011” – Custom: work Mon–Fri, off Sat & Sun (1 = weekend, 0 = workday)

The function returns the date represents the specified number of days after the starting date, excluding any weekends and holidays that have been specified

How to Use WORKDAY.INTL Function in Google Sheets?

The WORKDAY.INTL function is helpful in calculating deadlines or delivery dates and helps customize the business days by using non-working days. Unlike the basic WORKDAY, it allows us to specify specific weekends and holidays which is useful for custom work schedules.

There are two ways to use WORKDAY.INTL in Google Sheets:

• Enter WORKDAY.INTL manually in a cell
• Use the Google Sheets menu bar

Enter WORKDAY.INTL Manually in a Cell

In a simple example of for manual entry, consider a project that begins on March 1, 2024. A manager wants to find the completion date 45 working days later, with a public holiday on March 10 and Sunday and Monday as weekends. Find the number of business days required for the project.

Step 1: In a Google Sheet, enter the following details.

• Start Date – 2024-03-01
• Number of working days – 45
• Weekend code for Sunday and Monday – 2
• Holiday – 2025-03-10

Step 2: In another cell, enter the following WORKDAY.INTL formula:

=WORKDAY.INTL(B1, B2, B3, B4)

Step 3: Press Enter. The function will return the date that is 45 working days after March 1, 2024 . It will exclude Saturday and Sundays and the holiday on March 10.

Using the Menu Bar:

1. Click on the cell where you want to display the result.
2. Navigate to the following path:
   1. Insert → Function → Date → WORKDAY.INTL
3. After inserting the function, enter the required arguments.
4. Press Enter. The selected cell will display the calculated workday result based on your inputs.

Examples

Let us explore a few examples to understand how the WORKDAY.INTL function is applied in real-time scenarios. Through these examples, we understand how the function helps calculate future or past workdays based on specific conditions, such as custom weekends or holidays.

Example #1 – Calculate a date 14 workdays after January 1st, 2025, with default weekends (Saturday/Sunday)

Let us consider an example where we want to calculate a date that falls 14 working days after January 1st, 2025, while considering default weekends (Saturday and Sunday). This helps determine deadlines or project milestones that exclude non-working days.

Step 1: Enter the data in a Google Sheet as shown below:

Step 2: Click on a cell where you want to see the result, and enter the following formula:

=WORKDAY.INTL(B1, B2)

Step 3: Press Enter. We get the date 14 business days after January 1st, 2025, skipping all Saturdays and Sundays. Since the default is Saturday-Sunday as weekend, we did not specify the optional parameter, nor are there any customized holidays in between.

It is useful for tracking task deadlines, delivery dates, or schedules without manually counting around weekends.

Example #2 – Calculate a date 20 workdays from March 1st, 2025, with Sunday and Monday as weekends

In this example, a project manager is starting a new project on March 1st, 2025. The client wants the final deliverables completed within 20 working days. His employees take Sundays and Mondays off every week. To plan the delivery date accurately, let us see how the manager can use the WORKDAY.INTL function.

Step 1: Enter the following data in your Google Sheet:

Here, weekend code 2 means Sunday and Monday are treated as weekends.

Step 2: Click on a cell where you want to display the deadline date, here B5, and type the formula:

=WORKDAY.INTL(B1, B2, B3)

Step 3: Press Enter. The manager gets the project deadline that’s exactly 20 working days after March 1st, skipping all Sundays and Mondays.

This helps the manager communicate a realistic timeline to the client while preserving his employees’ weekend breaks. It helps maintain work-life balance while staying on track professionally.

Example #3 – Calculate a deadline 30 workdays from January 1st, 2025, excluding both weekends and a list of holidays in January 2025

An HR team is onboarding a group of new employees on January 1st, 2025. The training program spans 30 working days, but the company is closed on weekends (Saturday & Sunday) and also observes three public holidays. These days include New Year’s day January 1^st, the Founder’s day Jan 15^th and (New Year’s Day) and January 26th (Family Day). How can the HR use the WORKDAY.INTL function to determine the exact end date of the training.

Step 1: Enter the following data in Google Sheets.

Step 2: Enter the formula to calculate the number of business days as follows:

=WORKDAY.INTL(B1, B2, B3, {B4,B5,B6})

Step 3: Press Enter. The function calculates the date 30 working days after January 1st, 2025, skipping Saturdays, Sundays, and the three holidays. Here, the three different holidays can be specified within curly braces separated by commas.

This ensures the training program runs for the full intended duration helping with professional planning.

Important Things to Note

1. The start date must be a valid date format in Google Sheets else it will return an error or incorrect result.
2. As we know, WORKDAY.INTL calculates the total number of working days after a given date. To calculate the number of working days between any two given dates, use NETWORKDAYS.INTL.
3. When entering holidays, they must be provided as a range or array of valid dates, separated by commas within curly braces to be correctly excluded from the calculation.
4. The function assumes Saturday and Sunday as non-working days by default if you omit the weekend argument.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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