How many days are there between two dates? The question sounds simple, yet in everyday life it often leads to results that are off by one day. Sometimes the first day should count, sometimes the last, sometimes both. On top of that come months with 28, 30 or 31 days, leap years, weekends and public holidays. This guide shows how to count days, weeks, months, Werktage and working days correctly, and which counting method applies when.
The short answer
Days between two dates = end date minus start date. From 1 January to 31 December 2026 there are 364 days. In this calculation one of the two days is not counted. If both the start and the end day should count, add one day: the period from 1 January up to and including 31 December 2026 covers 365 calendar days.
The quickest way is the days calculator: it shows both values, plus weeks, months, Werktage and working days with the public holidays of your German state.
The most common mistake: one day too many or too few
The classic error is the fencepost problem: a fence with 10 posts has only 9 gaps. In the same way, a stay from 3 to 7 August has 4 nights but 5 days. Which number is right depends on the question:
- How long does something last? What counts is the distance, i.e. the difference. A hotel stay from 3 to 7 August 2026 lasts 4 nights. A deadline that starts with an event is counted the same way: the day of the event is left out (§ 187(1) BGB, German Civil Code).
- How many days does a period cover? Here both ends count. Leave from 3 to 7 August 2026 means 5 days of leave, a tenancy from 1 to 31 March lasts 31 days.
In the days calculator the option "Include end date" controls this. Without the tick you get the difference, with the tick the number of calendar days including both dates.
Counting days by hand
If you want to count without a calculator, go month by month: rest of the start month + full months in between + days in the end month. Example 15 March to 10 June 2027:
- Rest of March: 31 − 15 = 16 days
- Full months: April (30) and May (31) = 61 days
- Days in June up to the 10th: 10 days
Together that is 16 + 61 + 10 = 87 days. To remember the month lengths, use the knuckle rule: make a fist, January starts on the first knuckle, knuckles have 31 days, the dips between them 30 (February 28 or 29). After July on the last knuckle, August starts again on the first knuckle.
| Month | Days | Month | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 | July | 31 |
| February | 28 (leap year 29) | August | 31 |
| March | 31 | September | 30 |
| April | 30 | October | 31 |
| May | 31 | November | 30 |
| June | 30 | December | 31 |
Weeks, months and years
Weeks are easy: days divided by 7, the remainder are the extra days. 87 days are 12 weeks and 3 days. The ISO 8601 number of a week is found by the calendar week calculator.
Months are harder because they differ in length. They are therefore not counted in blocks of 30 days but from date to date: from 15 March to 15 June is exactly 3 months, regardless of how many days lie in between. If the matching day does not exist in the target month, the last day of the month applies: one month from 31 January 2027 is over on 28 February 2027. German law handles one-month deadlines the same way (§ 188(3) BGB).
A flat 30 days per month and 365 days per year are only used when a period does not have to run continuously, e.g. "three months' stay per year" (§ 191 BGB).
Years are also counted from date to date. From 1 March 2027 to 1 March 2028 exactly one year has passed, although it is 366 days because of 29 February 2028. Read more about leap years in the article How many days are in a year?.
Calendar days, Werktage, working days
Many deadlines and entitlements in Germany are not stated in calendar days. The three terms mean different things:
- Calendar days are all days, including weekends and public holidays.
- Werktage are, under § 3(2) of the Federal Leave Act (BUrlG), all calendar days that are not Sundays or public holidays. Saturday is therefore a Werktag.
- Working days are the days actually worked. In the usual 5-day week, these are Monday to Friday excluding public holidays.
The year 2026 shows how big the difference is:
| 2026 | Number | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar days | 365 | not a leap year |
| Monday to Friday | 261 | 52 full weeks plus one Thursday |
| Saturdays / Sundays | 52 / 52 | |
| Werktage (Mon–Sat) | 304 | excluding the 9 nationwide holidays, 2 of them on a Saturday |
| Working days (Mon–Fri) | 254 | nationwide; 252 to 254 depending on the state |
Public holidays are set by the states. Nine holidays apply nationwide, and depending on the state up to three more statewide holidays are added, for example Epiphany, Corpus Christi, Reformation Day or All Saints' Day. That is why Bavaria has only 252 working days in 2026, while Hamburg has 254. The complete table for all states is right next to the days calculator, the figures for next year are in the article Working days 2027 by German state.
Whether an entitlement is stated in Werktage or working days makes a real difference. The statutory minimum leave in Germany is 24 Werktage, which equals 20 working days in a 5-day week. The holiday entitlement calculator works out how much leave you are entitled to.
Deadlines: when does the first day count?
For deadlines, the German Civil Code prescribes the counting method. If a deadline starts with an event, such as receipt of a letter, that day is not counted (§ 187(1) BGB). A 14-day deadline after receipt on Monday, 2 November 2026, therefore ends when Monday, 16 November 2026, expires. If the period starts at the beginning of a day, e.g. a contract from the 1st of a month, the first day does count (§ 187(2) BGB).
If the deadline ends on a Saturday, Sunday or public holiday, the next working day takes its place in many cases (§ 193 BGB). This does not apply to notice periods. All rules with examples are explained in the article Calculating deadlines under the BGB; notice periods are calculated by the notice period calculator.
Adding or subtracting days
Often you are not looking for the distance but for a date: when is the 100th day from today? Which date is 30 working days after an order? For this the days calculator has the "Date ± days" mode. You choose a start date, an amount and the unit: calendar days, working days, weeks or months. For working days the calculator skips weekends and the public holidays of your state, and the start day itself is not counted. Example: 20 working days after 1 December 2026 is Wednesday, 30 December 2026 in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Daylight saving time and hours
Daylight saving time does not affect the number of days; a date remains a date. If you state the distance in hours, though, keep in mind: the day clocks go forward at the end of March has only 23 hours, the day they go back at the end of October has 25. The days calculator uses 24 hours per day for its hours figure.
Counting days in a spreadsheet
In common spreadsheet programs, dates are consecutive numbers. The difference =B1-A1 therefore returns the number of days directly, end date not included. The function NETWORKDAYS(start, end, holidays) counts Monday to Friday including both dates and subtracts a list of holidays. WORKDAY(start, days, holidays) returns the date after a number of working days, without counting the start day. You have to enter your state's public holidays yourself; the days calculator already knows them.
Typical uses
- Planning leave: How many working days does a trip cost, which public holidays fall in between? Tips on bridge days are in the article Bridge days 2027.
- Probation and contracts: A 6-month probation period starting on 1 November 2026 ends when 30 April 2027 expires.
- Delivery times and payment terms: "Payable within 14 days" means calendar days; "delivery within 10 Werktage" includes Saturdays but not Sundays and public holidays.
- Age and anniversaries: The age calculator shows how many days you have been alive.
- Countdown: How many days are left until Christmas, New Year's Eve or Easter is calculated live in your browser by the "Days until …" mode.
Conclusion
You calculate the days between two dates as end date minus start date. If both days should count, add one. For deadlines, the BGB specifies that the day of the triggering event is not counted. Werktage include Saturday, working days do not, and both depend on the public holidays of your state. The days calculator does the counting for you and shows all values at a glance.
As of 26 October 2026. Legal basis: §§ 187, 188, 191, 193 BGB, § 3(2) BUrlG, public holiday laws of the German states. This article is not legal advice.