Working Days Calculator

TL;DR

Compute:

• total days between two dates (inclusive)
• working days (Mon–Fri)

Note: this tool does not subtract public holidays.

Who this is for

• Employees planning vacations.
• Contractors estimating delivery timelines.

How to use it

1. Pick start and end date.
2. Read:
   • inclusive days
   • working days (Mon–Fri)

Working days vs “calendar days” (why it matters)

Two common mistakes in planning happen when people mix concepts:

• Calendar days: every day on the calendar (including weekends).
• Working days: typically Monday–Friday (what most people mean by “business days” in day-to-day planning).

If you’re planning a delivery timeline, sprints, or notice periods, you almost always want to start with working days and then handle exceptions (holidays) explicitly.

About public holidays (important)

This calculator intentionally keeps the logic simple and counts working days as Mon–Fri. Public holidays:

• vary by country and sometimes by year
• can be moved/observed differently depending on the calendar

If you need “Romanian public holidays excluded”, treat this tool as a baseline and adjust manually (or we can implement a holiday-aware mode later using an official holiday list).

Practical ways to handle public holidays today

If you need a realistic working-day estimate but don’t want a complex holiday engine:

1. Compute working days here (Mon–Fri baseline).
2. Check which public holidays fall inside the interval.
3. Subtract the holidays that land on a Mon–Fri.

This is usually enough for delivery planning and vacation planning, and it avoids “hidden” assumptions about holiday calendars.

Common scenarios where working days matter

Vacation planning

In most work contexts, “vacation days” are taken on working days, not weekends. That’s why the Mon–Fri count is usually the first number you want.

Delivery timelines and sprints

When someone says “this will take 10 days”, they usually mean 10 working days. Using calendar days will make you overpromise.

Day-rate billing

If you bill per day, you often invoice based on working days, not calendar days. Use this as a baseline, then adjust for holidays and planned PTO.

Worked examples

Example 1: project timeline

Compute working days between kickoff and deadline.

Example 2: vacation planning

Estimate how many working days you’ll be out (then subtract holidays manually).

Example 3: billing period

Compute working days in a billing window for day-rate contracts.

Example 4: sprint capacity planning

If your sprint is two weeks, count working days first, then subtract planned PTO and public holidays to estimate realistic capacity.

Edge cases & gotchas

• Public holidays are not excluded.
• If start/end are reversed, the tool still works (it normalizes).
• “Inclusive” means it counts both endpoints; clarify whether your use case expects that.

FAQ

Is this the same as “business days” in contracts?

Often yes, but contracts sometimes define business days differently. When it’s contractual, follow the contract definition.

What if I need public holidays excluded?

For now, subtract them manually (or implement a holiday-aware mode based on an official holiday list).

Should I include the start day?

This tool counts inclusively. For “start Monday, finish Friday” planning, inclusive counts match how many people think. For contractual terms, follow the contract wording.

What next?

Related tools:

• Days between dates for inclusive vs exclusive day counting
• Time off estimate if you’re planning time off and payout

Next steps (IT Jobs List)

For employment calculators, treat the result as guidance, not legal advice. Always verify your company policy/contract.

Related tools

• Days between dates

Related guides

• Working days in Romania: planning and estimation

Quick recommendation

• Save your assumptions (rates, breaks, thresholds) so you can reproduce the result.
• If you use the output in an invoice/offer, include a short explanation (what’s included and what’s not).

Practical checklist (IT Jobs List)

• Treat calculators as guidance and verify your contract/internal policy.
• Keep one computed example (with numbers) for discussions.
• If working days/holidays matter, clarify the exact period.