Calculate Months Between Two Dates in Excel
Hello, readers!
Welcome to our comprehensive guide on how to calculate months between two dates in Excel. Whether you’re a finance professional, analyst, or just someone who needs to compare dates, this guide will provide you with the knowledge and formulas you need.
Introduction
In real-world scenarios, it’s often necessary to calculate the time span between two dates. Excel provides several functions that allow you to do this effortlessly, and in this article, we will explore the most popular methods to calculate months between two dates.
Using the EDATE Function
Description
The EDATE function returns a date that is a specified number of months before or after a given date. The syntax for this function is:
=EDATE(start_date, months)
Example
To calculate the month after March 15, 2023, use the following formula:
=EDATE("03/15/2023", 1)
This formula will return the date April 15, 2023.
Using the DATEDIF Function
Description
The DATEDIF function returns the number of days, months, or years between two dates. The syntax for this function is:
=DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit)
where "unit" can be one of the following: "y" (years), "m" (months), "d" (days).
Example
To calculate the number of months between January 1, 2023, and June 1, 2023, use the following formula:
=DATEDIF("01/01/2023", "06/01/2023", "m")
This formula will return the value 5, indicating that there are 5 months between these two dates.
Using the MONTH and YEAR Functions
Description
The MONTH and YEAR functions return the month and year numbers of a given date. Using these functions in conjunction with the ABS function, you can calculate the number of months between two dates.
Example
To calculate the number of months between March 15, 2023, and June 1, 2023, use the following formula:
=ABS(MONTH(end_date) - MONTH(start_date) + (YEAR(end_date) - YEAR(start_date)) * 12)
This formula will return the value 2, indicating that there are 2 months between these two dates.
Table Summary
| Method | Syntax | Description |
|---|---|---|
| EDATE | =EDATE(start_date, months) | Returns a date that is a specified number of months before or after a given date. |
| DATEDIF | =DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit) | Returns the number of days, months, or years between two dates. |
| MONTH and YEAR | =ABS(MONTH(end_date) – MONTH(start_date) + (YEAR(end_date) – YEAR(start_date)) * 12) | Calculates the number of months between two dates using the MONTH and YEAR functions. |
Conclusion
In this article, we’ve explored various methods to calculate months between two dates in Excel, including the EDATE function, the DATEDIF function, and the MONTH and YEAR functions. We’ve also provided a table summary for your convenience.
If you’re interested in learning more about Excel’s date and time functions, we recommend checking out our other articles:
FAQ about Calculate Months Between Two Dates Excel
How do I calculate the number of months between two dates in Excel?
=DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, "m")
What is the difference between the DATEDIF and MONTH functions?
DATEDIF calculates the difference between two dates in specific units (e.g., months), while MONTH returns the month number (1-12) of a date.
How do I calculate the number of months, excluding partial months?
=IF(DAY(start_date)=DAY(end_date), DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, "m"), DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, "m")-1)
How do I calculate the number of months in a range of dates?
=IF(YEAR(start_date)=YEAR(end_date), MONTH(end_date)-MONTH(start_date)+1, MONTH(end_date)+12-MONTH(start_date))
How do I exclude weekends or holidays from the calculation?
Use the NETWORKDAYS function to calculate the number of working days between two dates and divide the result by 30.4.
How do I calculate the number of months between two dates that fall in different years?
=IF(MONTH(start_date)>MONTH(end_date), (12-MONTH(start_date)+MONTH(end_date))+(YEAR(end_date)-YEAR(start_date))*12, (MONTH(end_date)-MONTH(start_date))+(YEAR(end_date)-YEAR(start_date))*12)
How do I calculate the number of months until a future date?
=EDATE(start_date, 0)-start_date
How do I calculate the number of months since a past date?
=start_date-EDATE(end_date, 0)
How do I handle dates that are missing or invalid?
Use the ISDATE function to check if a date is valid before performing calculations. If a date is missing or invalid, you can assign it a default value of 0.
How can I round the number of months to the nearest whole number?
Round down: =INT(DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, "m"))
Round up: =ROUNDUP(DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, "m"), 0)
