What is considered a business day?↓
A business day is any official working day on which commercial businesses, financial markets, and government offices operate. In North America, Europe, and most international markets, business days run Monday through Friday, excluding Saturdays, Sundays, and recognized statutory public holidays.
Does a business day include Saturday or Sunday?↓
No. Under standard commercial and banking conventions, Saturdays and Sundays are categorized as weekend days and are excluded from business day calculations. Even though certain retail or delivery operations function on weekends, official contractual deadlines and financial clearings strictly observe the Monday-through-Friday schedule.
Can I change which days count as the weekend?↓
Yes. Under "Exclude Weekends", click the S M T W T F S day buttons to choose your weekend. Saturday and Sunday are selected by default. Pick Friday and Saturday for a workweek like the one in Saudi Arabia, Sunday only for a six-day workweek, or any other combination; at least one day must stay a working day. The business day count, the Weekend Days card, the day-by-day calendar, and the share link all follow your choice. Holiday exclusion still uses U.S. federal holidays on their U.S. observed dates.
How many business days are in a typical month and year?↓
An average month contains 20 to 22 business days, depending on month length, where weekends fall, and which U.S. federal holidays it contains. A standard year contains 260 to 262 weekdays (Monday–Friday). After subtracting the 11 annual U.S. federal holidays on their observed weekdays, a typical U.S. working year has about 250 net business days, and between 2020 and 2035 the total ranges from 247 to 251 once Inauguration Day and one-off federal closures are included.
What is the difference between calendar days and business days?↓
Calendar days count every consecutive 24-hour period on the calendar, including Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays. Business days count only operational working days (Monday–Friday). Consequently, a timeframe of 10 business days usually takes 14 to 16 calendar days to complete.
How long is 5 to 7 business days from today?↓
Because business days exclude weekends, 5 business days equals one full calendar week (7 calendar days). A window of 7 business days spans 9 to 11 calendar days, depending on the starting day of the week and whether any intervening public holidays occur.
How does the calculator handle public holidays that fall on a weekend?↓
When a U.S. federal holiday falls on a Sunday, it is observed on the following Monday. When it falls on a Saturday, it is observed on the preceding Friday, so a Saturday New Year's Day is observed on Friday, December 31 of the previous year. The calculator applies these observed-day rules so your business day totals match U.S. federal government closures, and a holiday is never deducted twice. Note that banks following the Federal Reserve schedule stay open on the Friday before a Saturday holiday.
How do I calculate total billable hours between two dates?↓
To calculate billable working hours between two dates, multiply the total number of net business days (excluding weekends and statutory public holidays) by your daily shift duration. For example, 22 business days on a standard 8-hour shift equals 176 billable hours, while a 7.5-hour European contract equals 165 billable hours. Our calculator computes this automatically for any date range with customizable shift lengths.
How do you estimate gross project revenue from business days?↓
Gross billable revenue is computed using the formula: Net Business Days × Daily Shift Hours × Hourly Billable Rate. For instance, a 30-business-day contractor agreement with an 8-hour shift (240 billable hours) at an hourly rate of $75/hr results in $18,000.00 in projected gross invoice revenue. Use the currency selector to calculate estimates in USD ($), INR (₹), EUR (€), GBP (£), CAD (C$), or AUD (A$).
Why is a 7.5-hour workday preset important for business day calculations?↓
While the United States standard full-time shift is 8.0 hours per day (40 hours per week), many professional employers and government agencies across the United Kingdom, European Union, and Australia observe a 37.5-hour workweek (7.5 hours per day). Selecting the 7.5h preset ensures that billing estimates, overtime thresholds, and payroll hours match international statutory contracts exactly.
Does the business days calculation include the end date?↓
By default, standard calendar calculations determine the duration between two dates, counting the starting day and excluding the ending date. If your project deadline, shift schedule, or contractual milestone requires the end date itself to be counted as a potential working day, simply check the "Include end date in calculation (+1 day)" checkbox. If the end date falls on a weekend or statutory public holiday, the calculator properly categorizes it without incorrectly adding a working day.
Which holidays does the business days calculator exclude?↓
When "Exclude Major Public Holidays (U.S.)" is checked, the calculator excludes U.S. federal holidays for the whole country: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day, each on its observed weekday. It also excludes Inauguration Day (January 20 every four years) and one-off federal closures granted by executive order, such as Christmas Eve 2024 and 2025. State holidays and company-specific holidays are not included.
Can I see which days were counted and which were excluded?↓
Yes. Open the "View Day-by-Day Calendar" panel below the results. It shows a month-by-month calendar in which counted business days, excluded weekends, and excluded U.S. holidays are highlighted in different colors, lists every excluded holiday by name and date, and shows how many business days each month contributes. Long ranges show the first and last two months in full and summarize the months in between.
Can I share or bookmark my business days calculation?↓
Yes. Every time you change the start or end date, toggle weekend settings or choose different weekend days, switch holiday exclusions, include the end date, or adjust shift hours, hourly rate, or currency, the tool updates your browser URL with query parameters in real time. Simply click the "Share" button or copy the page link to bookmark or send the exact calculation.