The DATEDIF function in Excel is a powerful yet somewhat hidden function that calculates the difference between two dates in various units such as days, months, or years. Below is an explanation of the DATEDIF function, including its syntax, usage, and 15 examples with data and formulas.
Syntax of DATEDIF
=DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit)
start_date: The earlier date.
end_date: The later date.
unit: The unit of time to calculate the difference. Options include:
"y": Difference in complete years."m": Difference in complete months."d": Difference in days."ym": Difference in months, ignoring years."yd": Difference in days, ignoring years."md": Difference in days, ignoring months and years.
15 Examples of DATEDIF
Example Data
| Start Date | End Date |
|---|---|
| 2020-01-01 | 2023-10-15 |
| 2018-05-10 | 2022-12-25 |
| 2021-03-15 | 2021-09-20 |
1. Difference in Years
Calculate the number of complete years between two dates.
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "y")
Result: 3 (for the first row of data).
2. Difference in Months
Calculate the number of complete months between two dates.
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "m")
Result: 45 (for the first row of data).
3. Difference in Days
Calculate the number of days between two dates.
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "d")
Result: 1383 (for the first row of data).
4. Difference in Months (Ignoring Years)
Calculate the number of months between two dates, ignoring years.
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "ym")
Result: 9 (for the first row of data).
5. Difference in Days (Ignoring Years)
Calculate the number of days between two dates, ignoring years.
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "yd")
Result: 287 (for the first row of data).
6. Difference in Days (Ignoring Months and Years)
Calculate the number of days between two dates, ignoring months and years.
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "md")
Result: 14 (for the first row of data).
7. Age in Years, Months, and Days
Calculate age in the format "X years, Y months, Z days".
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "y") & " years, " & DATEDIF(A2, B2, "ym") & " months, " & DATEDIF(A2, B2, "md") & " days"
Result: 3 years, 9 months, 14 days (for the first row of data).
8. Difference in Weeks
Calculate the number of weeks between two dates.
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "d") / 7
Result: 197.57 (for the first row of data).
9. Difference in Years and Months
Calculate the difference in years and months.
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "y") & " years, " & DATEDIF(A2, B2, "ym") & " months"
Result: 3 years, 9 months (for the first row of data).
10. Difference in Days (Excluding Start Date)
Calculate the number of days excluding the start date.
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "d") - 1
Result: 1382 (for the first row of data).
11. Difference in Months (Excluding Partial Months)
Calculate the number of complete months, excluding partial months.
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "m")
Result: 45 (for the first row of data).
12. Difference in Years (Excluding Partial Years)
Calculate the number of complete years, excluding partial years.
=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "y")
Result: 3 (for the first row of data).
13. Difference in Days Between Two Specific Dates
Calculate the number of days between two specific dates.
=DATEDIF("2020-01-01", "2023-10-15", "d")Result: 1383.
14. Difference in Months Between Two Specific Dates
Calculate the number of months between two specific dates.
=DATEDIF("2020-01-01", "2023-10-15", "m")Result: 45.
15. Difference in Years Between Two Specific Dates
Calculate the number of years between two specific dates.
=DATEDIF("2020-01-01", "2023-10-15", "y")Result: 3.
Notes
Ensure the
start_dateis earlier than theend_date; otherwise, the function will return an error.The
DATEDIFfunction is not documented in Excel's formula list, but it works in all versions.Be cautious with the
"md"unit, as it can sometimes produce unexpected results due to month-length variations.
These examples demonstrate the versatility of the DATEDIF function for calculating date differences in Excel.
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