Days Between Dates Calculator
To count the days between two dates, include the start date and exclude the end date. February 28 to March 1 is 2 days in a leap year (the 28th and 29th) — enter any two dates below for the exact count.
days
- Weeks
- Years / months / days
- Start weekday
- End weekday
The rule, stated plainly
Every duration on this page follows one convention: from and including the start date, to but not including the end date. That is why January 1 to January 2 is 1 day, not 2 — you are counting the days you pass through, starting with the first one. The result panel repeats the rule for your exact dates, so the math is never a mystery.
Tick Count the end date too when your use case needs both endpoints — hotel nights and project billing often do — and the calculator adds exactly one day.
Worked examples
- 2024-02-28 → 2024-03-01: 2 days — the 28th and the 29th (2024 is a leap year).
- 2023-02-28 → 2023-03-01: 1 day — there is no February 29 in 2023.
- 2024-01-01 → 2025-01-01: 366 days — a full leap year.
- 2026-01-31 → 2026-03-01: 29 days, or 1 month and 1 day in calendar terms.
Frequently asked questions
Does the end date count when calculating days between two dates?
No. The standard convention — the one this calculator uses — counts the start date and excludes the end date. So February 28 to March 1 is 2 days in a leap year (the 28th and 29th) and 1 day otherwise. If you need both endpoints counted, tick "Count the end date too" and the calculator adds one day.
What happens if the end date is before the start date?
You get a negative count. For example, March 1 back to February 28 reads as −2 days. The direction is shown explicitly so there is no ambiguity about which way the span runs.
How is the years–months–days breakdown calculated?
The calculator steps forward in whole calendar years, then whole months, then counts the leftover days — the same way you would count on a wall calendar. A month here means a calendar month, not 30 days, which is why January 31 to March 1 reads as 1 month and 1 day.
Why does another calculator give me a different answer?
Almost always because of the inclusion rule: some tools count both endpoints, some count neither, and some mix time zones into the math. This page states its rule in plain language next to every result, so you can compare apples to apples.
Can I count only weekdays or business days?
Not on this page — it counts every calendar day. If you need business days excluding weekends and public holidays, that is a separate calculation with country-specific rules.