What this calculator does
Working days are calendar days less weekends, and less any public holidays that fall on a weekday. The weekend part is automatic. The holiday part is a number you enter, because holidays differ by country, state and year and cannot be applied reliably without knowing which calendar applies.
Over a full year the difference is substantial. From 1 January to 31 December 2026 there are 364 days counted, of which 104 fall on weekends, leaving 260 working days before any holidays are deducted. A typical public holiday allowance takes that to somewhere in the low 250s.
The formula
Each day in the range is stepped through in turn and classified as a weekday or a weekend day, which handles leap years and month lengths without any special cases. The holiday count you supply is then subtracted from the weekday total, and the result is floored at zero. Working hours use 7.6 hours a day, a standard full-time day on a 38-hour week.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Working day | Monday to Friday, less any public holiday falling on one. |
| Weekend days | Saturdays and Sundays in the range, excluded automatically. |
| Working hours | Working days multiplied by 7.6, a standard full-time day. |
The inputs explained
| Field | What to enter |
|---|---|
| Start date | The start date. |
| End date | The end date. |
| Public holidays in the period | How many public holidays fall on a weekday within the period. Holidays landing on a weekend are already excluded and should not be counted here. |
When to use it
Planning a project schedule
Work happens on working days, so a plan built on calendar days will run late by roughly two days in every seven. Converting the available window into working days first avoids that.
Calculating notice or leave
Employment periods are often specified in working days rather than calendar days, and the two differ by enough over a month to matter.
Estimating capacity for a quarter or a year
The working hours figure turns a date range directly into available capacity, which is the number usually wanted when sizing what can be delivered.
Worked examples
Every figure in the tables below is produced by this page’s own calculator at build time, so the numbers and the tool always agree. Select any row to load that scenario.
How many working days are there in each period of 2026?
Periods of increasing length from a fixed start of 1 January 2026, with the holiday count left at zero.
| End date | Working days | Calendar days | Weekend days | Working weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-31 | 21 | 30 | 9 | 4.20 |
| 2026-03-31 | 63 | 89 | 26 | 12.60 |
| 2026-06-30 | 128 | 180 | 52 | 25.60 |
| 2026-12-31 | 260 | 364 | 104 | 52.00 |
Questions
Why are public holidays not deducted automatically?
Because there is no single answer to what they are. Holidays differ between countries, between states within a country, and from year to year where they move with a date or are substituted when they fall on a weekend. Supplying the count yourself is the only way to get a correct answer for your own calendar.
Should I count a holiday that falls on a weekend?
No. Weekend days are already excluded, so counting a Saturday holiday would deduct it twice. Count only holidays landing Monday to Friday, and include any weekday substitute granted for a weekend holiday.
Does the count include the start date?
It counts forward from the day after the start date to the end date inclusive. That matches how a notice period or a project window is usually read, where the starting day is the reference point rather than the first day of work.
Why 7.6 hours a day?
It is a standard full-time day on a 38-hour week, which is the common Australian arrangement. On a 40-hour week the figure would be 8 hours, so multiply the working days by your own daily hours if the default does not match.
For a plain calendar count including weekends, see the days between dates calculator. For converting hours worked into pay, see the timesheet and pay calculator.