How to add business days to a date

Learn how to add business days to a start date, skip weekends, and allow for public holidays when calculating a due date.

Published 2026-04-26 · Updated 2026-04-26

Worked example: 5 business days from Wednesday 6 May 2026

Here is a step-by-step example. We start from Wednesday 6 May 2026 and add 5 business days, skipping weekends.

StepDateDayCounts?
StartWed 6 May 2026Wednesday—
Day 1Thu 7 May 2026ThursdayYes — business day
Day 2Fri 8 May 2026FridayYes — business day
—Sat 9 May 2026SaturdaySkipped
—Sun 10 May 2026SundaySkipped
Day 3Mon 11 May 2026MondayYes — business day
Day 4Tue 12 May 2026TuesdayYes — business day
Day 5Wed 13 May 2026WednesdayYes — result

The result: 5 business days from Wednesday 6 May 2026 is Wednesday 13 May 2026 — seven calendar days later because the weekend was skipped. If the Monday had been a bank holiday (it is not), the result would shift to Thursday 14 May.

Key takeaways

  • Decide whether the start date itself counts as day one before you begin.
  • Skip Saturdays and Sundays — they are never business days.
  • Skip public holidays if your policy, contract, or regulation excludes them.
  • Use the correct holiday calendar for the country or region involved.
how-to-add-business-days-to-a-date illustration
Add business days step by step: a quick visual summary for this guide.

Step-by-step method

  1. Start with the date the period begins
  2. Decide whether the start date counts as day one
  3. Move forward one weekday at a time
  4. Skip Saturdays and Sundays
  5. Skip public holidays if the rule says they do not count
  6. Stop when you reach the required number of business days

Common mistake

The most common mistake is counting weekends or accidentally counting the start date when the policy expects counting to begin the next business day.

When to use a calculator

For short date ranges, manual counting may be fine. For longer ranges, public holidays, or formal deadlines, a calculator is safer and quicker.

Useful official resources

These sources are directly relevant to the date, public holiday, delivery, SLA, or complaint-handling topic covered in this article.

Common worked examples

Start date+ Business daysResultNotes
Mon 1 June 20265Mon 8 June 2026One full working week
Thu 4 June 20265Thu 11 June 2026Crosses one weekend
Fri 5 June 20265Fri 12 June 2026Crosses two weekends
Tue 22 Dec 20265Thu 31 Dec 2026Skips Xmas Day (Fri 25th) & Boxing Day sub (Mon 28th)
Mon 12 Jan 202630Mon 23 Feb 2026~6 calendar weeks

These examples assume the count starts on the next business day after the start date, which is the most common interpretation in UK contracts and SLAs. Always confirm whether your specific policy includes or excludes the start date.

Use the calculator to add or count business days without spreadsheet formulas.

Open Business Day Calculator Complaint Deadline Tracker

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