This guide covers the essential functions for handling dates and times in Excel, including syntax, descriptions, and common use cases.

1. Current Date & Time

Use these to timestamp your sheets or create dynamic headers.

Function	Syntax	Description
TODAY	`=TODAY()`	Returns the current system date. Updates every time the sheet recalculates.
NOW	`=NOW()`	Returns the current system date and time.

2. Creating Dates & Times

Use these when you have components (Year, Month, Day) in separate cells.

Function	Syntax	Description
DATE	`=DATE(year, month, day)`	Combines three integers into a valid Excel date.
TIME	`=TIME(hour, minute, second)`	Combines three integers into a valid Excel time.
DATEVALUE	`=DATEVALUE("date_text")`	Converts a date stored as text into a serial number Excel recognizes.
TIMEVALUE	`=TIMEVALUE("time_text")`	Converts a time stored as text into a serial number.

Use these to pull specific parts out of a full date or time serial number.

Function	Syntax	Description
DAY	`=DAY(serial_number)`	Returns the day of the month (1-31).
MONTH	`=MONTH(serial_number)`	Returns the month (1 for Jan, 12 for Dec).
YEAR	`=YEAR(serial_number)`	Returns the four-digit year.
WEEKDAY	`=WEEKDAY(date, [type])`	Returns a number (1-7) representing the day of the week.
WEEKNUM	`=WEEKNUM(date)`	Returns the week number of the year (1-52).
HOUR	`=HOUR(serial_number)`	Returns the hour (0-23).
MINUTE	`=MINUTE(serial_number)`	Returns the minute (0-59).
SECOND	`=SECOND(serial_number)`	Returns the second (0-59).

Use these for project timelines, deadlines, and aging reports.

Function	Syntax	Description
EDATE	`=EDATE(start_date, months)`	Returns a date a specific number of months before or after the start date.
EOMONTH	`=EOMONTH(start_date, months)`	Returns the last day of the month, X months away.
DATEDIF	`=DATEDIF(start, end, "unit")`	Calculates the difference between two dates in “Y”, “M”, or “D”.
NETWORKDAYS	`=NETWORKDAYS(start, end, [holidays])`	Returns the number of whole working days between two dates (excludes weekends).
WORKDAY	`=WORKDAY(start, days, [holidays])`	Returns a date that is X working days in the future or past.

Excel stores dates as whole numbers and times as decimals:

To change how a date looks without changing the data, press Ctrl + 1 and use these codes: