What counts as a business day
A business day is any weekday (Monday through Friday) that isn't a public holiday. This calculator counts the days between your start and end date, skipping Saturdays and Sundays automatically. If you need to account for specific holidays -- like a shipping deadline that excludes Thanksgiving or a contract that runs on a different country's calendar -- add or subtract those days manually from the result, since holiday calendars vary by country, state, and industry.
Common uses
Shipping and delivery estimates. Carriers like UPS and FedEx quote transit times in business days, not calendar days, so a "3 business day" shipment placed on a Thursday actually arrives the following Tuesday, not Sunday.
Payroll and invoicing. Many contracts specify payment "within 30 business days" rather than calendar days, which stretches the real deadline out by roughly two extra weeks depending on where the weekends fall.
Legal and contract deadlines. Notice periods, escrow timelines, and response windows in contracts are frequently defined in business days to avoid penalizing the other party for weekends.
Frequently asked questions
Does this calculator include the start date? If the start date is itself a weekday, most conventions count it as day one. Check whether your specific contract or carrier counts inclusively or starts counting the day after.
What about public holidays? Holidays aren't factored in automatically because they differ by country and even by state or industry. Subtract the holidays that fall in your date range manually.
Is a business day always 24 hours? No -- it refers to the calendar day being a working day, not a fixed time duration. Same-day cutoffs (e.g., orders placed after 2pm count as the next business day) are handled separately by whichever service you're using.