If a ticket must be closed in 5 working days, simply adding 5 to the date is wrong, because weekends are counted. WORKDAY skips Saturdays and Sundays, and a holiday list if you give one.
Syntax
=WORKDAY(start_date, days, [holidays])
Example: SLA due date
Ticket date in A2, 5 working days allowed:
=WORKDAY(A2, 5)
If A2 is a Friday, the answer is the next Friday.
Skip holidays
Put the holiday dates in a range, say H2:H15, and add it:
=WORKDAY(A2, 5, $H$2:$H$15)
The dollar signs keep the holiday range fixed when you copy the formula down.
Different weekends
If your weekend is Friday and Saturday, use WORKDAY.INTL:
=WORKDAY.INTL(A2, 5, 7)
The code 7 means Friday and Saturday are off.
Count the days between two dates
The opposite question, how many working days between two dates, is answered by NETWORKDAYS.
Common mistakes
- The result shows as a number like 45600. Format the cell as a date.
- Dates typed as text do not work. Check that the date is right aligned.