Introduction
Hey there, readers! Welcome to your guide on calculating the number of months between two dates in Excel. Whether you’re a seasoned Excel pro or just starting out, we’ve got you covered with everything you need to know. Let’s dive right in!
Section 1: Understanding the Basics
Subheading: Identifying Date Values
The first step is to make sure you’re working with dates in Excel. Dates in Excel are stored as serial numbers, so it’s important to check that the values you’re using represent dates. You can do this by entering a date into a cell and checking the "Number" format on the Home tab. If the number of days since December 31, 1899 appears, you’re dealing with a date value.
Subheading: Using the DATEDIF Function
The DATEDIF function is your go-to tool for calculating the number of months between two dates. Its syntax is =DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, interval), where "interval" is the unit you want to calculate. For months, "interval" is "m".
Section 2: Common Scenarios
Subheading: Calculating Months Between Specific Dates
Let’s say you want to know how many months there are between January 1, 2023, and June 30, 2024. Simply enter the dates into two cells, and then use the DATEDIF function with an "interval" of "m" to get the result:
=DATEDIF("2023-01-01", "2024-06-30", "m") // Returns 17
Subheading: Calculating Months Between Dates Stored in Cells
If you have the dates stored in cells, you can use the cell references instead of hardcoding the dates:
=DATEDIF(A1, B1, "m") // Assuming dates are stored in cells A1 and B1
Section 3: Advanced Techniques
Subheading: Calculating Months Excluding Specific Days
Sometimes, you may want to exclude weekends or other specific days from your calculation. You can do this using a combination of the DATEVALUE, WEEKDAY, and DATEDIF functions. Here’s an example:
=DATEDIF(DATEVALUE("2023-01-01"), DATEVALUE("2024-06-30"), "m") - ROUNDDOWN((WEEKDAY(DATEVALUE("2023-01-01"), 2) + WEEKDAY(DATEVALUE("2024-06-30"), 2) - 3) / 7, 0)
Subheading: Handling Leap Years
Leap years can throw a wrench in your calculations. To account for them, you can use the EOMONTH function to automatically adjust for the extra day in February. Here’s an example:
=DATEDIF("2023-01-01", EOMONTH("2024-06-30", -1), "m") // Returns 17
Section 4: Table Breakdown
| Formula | Description |
|---|---|
=DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, "m") |
Calculates the number of months between two dates |
=DATEDIF(DATEVALUE("start_date"), DATEVALUE("end_date"), "m") |
Calculates the number of months between dates stored in cells |
=DATEDIF(DATEVALUE("start_date"), DATEVALUE("end_date"), "m") - ROUNDDOWN((WEEKDAY(DATEVALUE("start_date"), 2) + WEEKDAY(DATEVALUE("end_date"), 2) - 3) / 7, 0) |
Calculates the number of months excluding weekends |
=DATEDIF("start_date", EOMONTH("end_date", -1), "m") |
Calculates the number of months accounting for leap years |
Conclusion
Calculating the number of months between two dates in Excel is a breeze once you understand the basics. Whether you need to calculate months for specific dates or use advanced techniques, we hope this guide has you covered.
Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this article, be sure to check out our other articles on Excel tips and tricks.
FAQ about "Number of Months Between Two Dates Excel"
How to calculate the number of months between two dates in Excel?
=DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, "m")
Can I use this formula to calculate the number of months between two non-consecutive dates?
Yes, the formula will return the total number of months, regardless of whether the dates are consecutive or not.
What if the start date is after the end date?
The formula will return a negative value if the start date is after the end date.
How to calculate the number of months including partial months?
You can use the following formula:
=DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, "md")
Can I calculate the number of months between two dates in different years?
Yes, the formula will automatically adjust for different years.
What if the dates are in different formats?
Excel will automatically convert the dates to a consistent format before performing the calculation.
How to calculate the number of months between two dates excluding weekends?
You can use the following VBA code:
Function MonthsBetweenDates(startDate As Date, endDate As Date) As Long
Dim vWeekdays As Variant
Dim i As Integer
Dim vMonths As Variant
Dim j As Integer
Dim dTemp1 As Date
Dim dTemp2 As Date
Dim lResult As Long
Dim lCount As Long
vWeekdays = Array("Sunday", "Monday", "Tuesday", "Wednesday", "Thursday", "Friday", "Saturday")
i = 0
Do Until i = 7
vWeekdays(i) = DateValue(vWeekdays(i))
i = i + 1
Loop
dTemp1 = DateAdd("m", 1, startDate)
Do Until dTemp1 > endDate
'In which month is dTemp1?
j = 0
Do Until j = 12
vMonths(j) = DateSerial(Year(dTemp1), j + 1, 1)
j = j + 1
Loop
If IsNumeric(Application.Match(DateWeekday(dTemp1), vWeekdays, 0)) Then
dTemp1 = DateAdd("d", 1, dTemp1)
Exit Do
End If
dTemp1 = DateAdd("m", 1, dTemp1)
Loop
dTemp2 = DateSerial(Year(startDate), Month(startDate) + 1, 1)
lResult = Month(endDate) - Month(startDate)
Do Until dTemp2 > endDate
If IsNumeric(Application.Match(DateWeekday(dTemp2), vWeekdays, 0)) Then
lCount = lCount + 1
End If
dTemp2 = DateAdd("d", 1, dTemp2)
Loop
lResult = lResult + CInt(lCount / 5) - 1
If lCount Mod 5 > 0 Then
lResult = lResult + 1
End If
MonthsBetweenDates = lResult
End Function
How to calculate the number of months between two dates rounded to the nearest whole month?
You can use the following formula:
=ROUND(DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, "m"), 0)
Can I use this formula to calculate the number of months in a specific year?
Yes, you can use the following formula:
=DATEDIF(DATE(year, 12, 31), DATE(year + 1, 1, 1), "m")
How to calculate the number of months between two dates with a custom fiscal year?
You can use the following VBA code:
Function FiscalMonthDiff(StartDate As Date, EndDate As Date, ByVal iStartMonth As Integer, Optional ByVal iEndMonth As Integer) As Long
'This assumes the fiscal year starts in the specified month and ends in the month before the specified month in the following year
'If the fiscal year runs from some month in one year to the same month in the following year, set iEndMonth = iStartMonth
'If no end month is specified, assume the end month is the same as the start month
If Not IsDate(StartDate) Or Not IsDate(EndDate) Then
FiscalMonthDiff = CVErr(2007) 'typerror
Exit Function
End If
If iStartMonth < 1 Or iStartMonth > 12 Then
FiscalMonthDiff = CVErr(2007) 'argument error
Exit Function
End If
If iEndMonth < 1 Or iEndMonth > 12 Then
FiscalMonthDiff = CVErr(2007) 'argument error
Exit Function
End If
If iEndMonth = 0 Then
iEndMonth = iStartMonth
End If
Dim dtStartYear As Date, dtEndYear As Date
dtStartYear = DateSerial(Year(StartDate), iStartMonth, 1)
'the fiscal year that includes the start date
dtEndYear = DateSerial(Year(EndDate), iEndMonth + 1, 1)
'the fiscal year that includes the end date
If dtStartYear > dtEndYear Then
'the fiscal year of the start date is greater than the fiscal year of the end date
FiscalMonthDiff = CVErr(2007) 'argument error
Exit Function
End If
FiscalMonthDiff = Month(EndDate) - Month(StartDate) + (Year(EndDate) - Year(StartDate)) * 12
If Month(EndDate) < Month(StartDate) Then
'adjust for the difference in months between the fiscal year start and end months
FiscalMonthDiff = FiscalMonthDiff - 1
End If
End Function
