How to count working days correctly for deadlines, deliveries and leave
2026-09-22
'Delivered within five business days' ordered on a Friday afternoon means the following Friday, not Wednesday. Whether the start day counts, whether Saturday is a business day, and which holidays apply change the answer by two or three days — enough to miss a deadline.
Open the calculator
The conventions
- Business days exclude Saturday, Sunday and public holidays
- Deadlines usually count from the next business day (day zero is the trigger day)
- A period 'ending on' a weekend rolls to the next business day in most contracts
- Some industries (banking cut-offs, courts) have their own rules — check the document
Holidays
US federal holidays are observed on the nearest weekday when they fall on a weekend, which shifts dates year to year. The calculator includes the 2026 observed dates. For other countries, ignore holidays in the tool and subtract them by hand.
Leave and payroll
Paid leave is usually granted in working days, so a two-week vacation is 10 days, not 14. When a company prorates leave for a partial year, it divides your days of service by 365 — use the date difference calculator to get days of service exactly.