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✍️ Excel date & time examples

DATEDIF Examples in Excel

Learn practical datedif examples in excel for deadlines, schedules, reporting periods and date calculations.

Updated 2026-06-125 practical examplesCopy-ready

What it does

DATEDIF returns the difference between two dates in years, months or days.

Syntax or pattern

=DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit)
✅

5 practical examples

1

Calculate age in years

Return whole years between birth date and today.

=DATEDIF(A2,TODAY(),"Y")

Common for age calculations.

2

Months between dates

Count complete months between two dates.

=DATEDIF(A2,B2,"M")

Useful for tenure and durations.

3

Days between dates

Count complete days between two dates.

=DATEDIF(A2,B2,"D")

Simple date difference.

4

Years and months label

Build a readable tenure label.

=DATEDIF(A2,TODAY(),"Y")&" years "&DATEDIF(A2,TODAY(),"YM")&" months"

Combines two units.

5

Project duration

Measure project duration in months.

=DATEDIF(StartDate,EndDate,"M")

Good for project summaries.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Check whether dates are real Excel dates, not text.
  • Be careful with weekends, holidays and time portions.
  • Explain whether a result counts calendar days or workdays.

Related Excel examples

TODAY and NOW Examples in ExcelDATE Function Examples in ExcelEOMONTH Examples in Excel📊 All Excel examples

FAQ

Why does the date formula return a number?

Excel stores dates as serial numbers. Format the cell as a date to display it correctly.

💡 Useful resources

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