Excel DATEDIF function to get difference between two dates

This tutorial provides a concise explanation of Excel's DATEDIF function and offers formula examples for calculating date differences in days, weeks, months, or years. We've previously covered date and time manipulation in Excel, including formatting, weekday calculations, and date arithmetic. This tutorial focuses specifically on calculating the duration between two dates.

Key Topics:

• Excel's DATEDIF Function
• DATEDIF Formula Examples
• Calculating Days Between Dates
• Calculating Weeks Between Dates
• Calculating Months Between Dates
• Calculating Years Between Dates
• Combined Day, Month, Year Differences
• Calculating Age in Excel
• The Date & Time Wizard (for simplified formula creation)

Excel's DATEDIF Function:

The DATEDIF function calculates the difference between two dates. It's an undocumented function, so its syntax must be learned:

DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit)

• start_date: The beginning date.
• end_date: The ending date.
• unit: The unit of measurement (Y=years, M=months, D=days, MD=days ignoring years/months, YD=days ignoring years, YM=months ignoring years/days).

DATEDIF Formula Examples:

The simplest DATEDIF formula uses cell references: =DATEDIF(A1, B1, "d") (days between A1 and B1). Dates can also be entered as text strings ("1/1/2023") or serial numbers (though the latter is less reliable). The TODAY() function can be used for the current date. Remember: the end_date must be later than the start_date to avoid the #NUM! error.

Calculating Date Differences:

• Days: =DATEDIF(A2, B2, "d") (or =B2-A2 for positive/negative results). Use "YD" to ignore years, or "MD" to ignore years and months.
• Weeks: =ROUNDDOWN((DATEDIF(A2, B2, "d") / 7), 0) (full weeks).
• Months: =DATEDIF(A2, B2, "m") (complete months). Use "YM" to ignore years. Alternatively, =(YEAR(B2) - YEAR(A2))*12 MONTH(B2) - MONTH(A2) provides positive/negative results.
• Years: =DATEDIF(A2, B2, "y") (complete years). Alternatively, =YEAR(B2) - YEAR(A2) offers a simpler approach.

Combined Year, Month, Day Differences:

Combine DATEDIF functions to display years, months, and days:

=DATEDIF(A2, B2, "y") &" years, "&DATEDIF(A2, B2, "ym") &" months, " &DATEDIF(A2, B2, "md") &" days"

Conditional statements can suppress zero values for cleaner output.

Calculating Age:

Use =DATEDIF(birthdate, TODAY(), "y") for age in years, or a combined formula for years, months, and days.

Date & Time Wizard:

Ablebits' Date & Time Wizard simplifies formula creation, offering various options and handling date order automatically.

This tutorial provides a comprehensive overview of date difference calculations in Excel. The choice of method depends on the specific requirements and desired level of detail. The Date & Time Wizard offers a user-friendly alternative to manual formula construction.

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