Google Sheets Date Formulas
Use Google Sheets date formulas like TODAY, EDATE, EOMONTH, WORKDAY, and NETWORKDAYS for timelines, budgets, and schedules.
Google Sheets date formulas help turn static dates into working timelines, schedules, payment plans, and review cycles. Use them when due dates, month ends, workday counts, or rolling deadlines should update without manual edits.
The key is to store dates as real date values, not text. Once the sheet has real dates, formulas can calculate deadlines and intervals reliably.
TODAY for rolling dates
TODAY returns the current date:
=TODAY()Use it in dashboards, overdue checks, and timeline formulas. For example, to mark whether a due date in E2 is overdue:
=E2<TODAY()That returns TRUE when the date has passed.
EDATE for monthly offsets
EDATE returns a date a set number of months before or after another date:
=EDATE(start_date, months)If A2 is a contract start date, the date three months later is:
=EDATE(A2, 3)This is useful for subscription reviews, grant milestones, quarterly check-ins, and recurring planning cycles.
EOMONTH for month-end dates
EOMONTH returns the last day of a month:
=EOMONTH(start_date, months)To get the end of the current month:
=EOMONTH(TODAY(), 0)To get the end of next month:
=EOMONTH(TODAY(), 1)This is useful in small-business budgets and invoice workflows where monthly close dates matter.
WORKDAY for business-day deadlines
WORKDAY returns a date a number of working days from a start date:
=WORKDAY(start_date, num_days, [holidays])If A2 is the kickoff date and the task takes 10 working days, use:
=WORKDAY(A2, 10)If holidays are listed in H2:H10, use:
=WORKDAY(A2, 10, H2:H10)This is better than adding calendar days when weekends or holidays should not count.
NETWORKDAYS for working-day counts
NETWORKDAYS counts working days between two dates:
=NETWORKDAYS(start_date, end_date, [holidays])To count workdays between a start date in A2 and end date in B2, use:
=NETWORKDAYS(A2, B2)In a project tracker or Gantt chart, this can show realistic working duration instead of raw calendar span.
Common date formula issues
| Issue | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Formula returns a number | Cell is formatted as Number | Format the result as Date |
| Comparison fails | Date is stored as text | Convert imported text to real dates |
| Deadline ignores holidays | Holidays range omitted | Add the holiday list as the third argument |
| Due dates shift unexpectedly | TODAY recalculates | Use a fixed date when the review date should not move |
The Griddy way
Date logic gets repetitive when a sheet needs kickoff dates, due dates, month-end close, overdue flags, and business-day durations at the same time.
"Add working-day deadlines, month-end review dates, and overdue flags to this Google Sheets project plan"
Griddy can add the formulas against the actual date columns and keep the resulting timeline readable.
Skip the manual work
Describe it. Griddy does it.
Instead of writing this formula yourself, just tell Griddy what you need in plain English. Works in Excel and Google Sheets.
Use this on real templates
Turn dates into working timelines
Date formulas make project plans, invoices, budgets, and schedules easier to review because deadlines and workday counts update automatically.
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