A business day (also called a working day) is a day on which normal business operations run — typically Monday through Friday, excluding weekends and public holidays. Business day calculation means counting only those working days between two dates, or finding the calendar date that falls a given number of working days from a starting date. Shipping and delivery windows, bank and government processing times, notice periods, project schedules, and SLA (service-level agreement) commitments are very often specified in business days rather than calendar days, which makes manual counting error-prone — it's easy to forget a weekend or a holiday. The calculator above handles both directions — counting business days in a range, and projecting a target date — instantly and with a full breakdown.
âš™ï¸ Advanced settings — Saturday, holidays, custom days off
How are business days calculated?
A complete guide to counting business days between two dates, the weekend and US federal holiday rules, and SLA/deadline-date calculations.
Business days → calendar days (example table)
For a Monday start with a standard 5-day work week and no holidays in the way, here's roughly how many calendar days common SLA windows take. Use the calculator above for your exact dates and holidays.
| Business days | Calendar days | Approx. weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 business day | 1 day | — |
| 2 business days | 2 days | — |
| 3 business days | 3 days | — |
| 5 business days | 7 days | 1 week |
| 7 business days | 9 days | ~1.3 weeks |
| 10 business days | 14 days | 2 weeks |
| 15 business days | 21 days | 3 weeks |
| 20 business days | 28 days | 4 weeks |
| 30 business days | 42 days | 6 weeks |
Note: when a federal holiday falls in the window, the calendar-day equivalent grows; use the calculator above for the exact answer.
Popular calculations
US federal holidays & business-day reference tables
Monthly business-day counts, the current and next year's US federal holiday schedule, and the counting rules — all computed automatically, not a fixed yearly list.
| Month | Weekdays | Business days (holidays excluded) |
|---|
—
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|
| Date | Day | Holiday |
|---|
Dates are computed with real date math (nth-weekday-of-month and the federal observed-holiday rule), so they're correct for any year, not just the two shown here. "(observed)" marks a holiday shifted off its actual weekend date. Some employers and states use different names for certain holidays (for example, Columbus Day is observed as Indigenous Peoples' Day in a number of states).
| Day | Default | If Saturday counts |
|---|---|---|
| Monday - Friday | Business day | Business day |
| Saturday | Weekend (excluded) | Business day (still subject to the holiday check) |
| Sunday | Weekend (excluded) | Always excluded |
| US federal holiday (on a weekday) | Excluded if the option is on | Excluded if the option is on |
Both end dates are counted by default in "Days between two dates" mode; that can be turned off in Advanced settings.
Business day terms glossary
Short definitions of the core terms used in business-day and deadline calculations.
In-depth guides
Detailed answers to the most common business-day and deadline questions.
When does a "3 business day" shipment arrive? An SLA example
If an online store takes an order on Tuesday and promises "ships within 3 business days," the count starts the first business day after the order: Wednesday (1), Thursday (2), Friday (3). So the order ships no later than Friday. If the order is placed on Thursday or Friday instead, the weekend falls in between and the 3rd business day slides into the following week.
Enter the order date and "3" into the "N business days from a date" tab above, and the tool automatically skips weekends (and any federal holidays, if selected) to show the exact ship-by date — you can add that result straight to your calendar.
How does a holiday week change the business-day count?
Holiday weeks have fewer business days than normal weeks because a federal holiday falls in the middle. For example, Thanksgiving (the 4th Thursday of November) is a federal holiday, so that week typically has only Monday-Wednesday and Friday as available business days — and the following Friday is not an official federal holiday, even though many private employers close for it too.
Keep "Exclude US federal holidays" turned on and add any employer-specific closures (like the Friday after Thanksgiving) as a custom day off to get the true business-day count or delivery date around a holiday week.
Business-day rules in legal and administrative deadlines (general information)
Some US statutes, court rules, and agency regulations count time in "business days" and others in "calendar days," and many include a rule that extends a deadline landing on a weekend or federal holiday to the next business day. These rules vary by jurisdiction, agency, and type of proceeding, and can differ from the general-purpose counting method used here.
This tool is a general-purpose business-day calculator and is not legal advice; for administrative filings, court deadlines, or contract terms, confirm the exact counting rule in the relevant statute, rule, or agreement, or consult a qualified professional. It's well suited for everyday shipping, SLA, and planning calculations.
Add this calculator to your site (embed code)
Embed the business day calculator on your own website for free. Copy the code below into your HTML — the tool runs in a simplified view and links back to this page as its source.
The embedded tool has a fixed layout; you can adjust the height value to fit your site. No ads or personal data, runs entirely client-side.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate business days between two dates?
How do you find the number of days excluding weekends?
How do you find a deadline that is N business days away?
How do you calculate business days excluding US federal holidays?
How is an SLA deadline date calculated?
What is a business day calculator used for?
Does Saturday count as a business day?
What happens when a US federal holiday falls on a weekend?
Which holidays fall within my date range, and how can I see them?
How do I calculate business days for a Sunday-open retail schedule or a 4-day work week?
Methodology & sources
US federal holidays are computed directly with date math — five fixed-date holidays (New Year's Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Christmas Day) apply the federal observed-holiday rule for weekend dates, and six "nth weekday of month" holidays (Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving Day) are located with weekday arithmetic — not a static table, so the schedule is correct for this year and future years automatically.
Basis: The federal holiday schedule follows the pattern set out in 5 U.S.C. § 6103 and the standard federal observed-holiday convention. Last updated: July 19, 2026. Results are for informational purposes only and are not legal or official time-limit advice; for legal, contractual, or administrative deadlines, confirm the applicable rule for your situation.