Calculating The First Business Day Of The Month In Excel

by Jacky Chou
Updated on

Key Takeaway:

  • Formulas can be used in Excel to calculate the first business day of the month, which is helpful for various forecasting and budgeting tasks.
  • The WEEKDAY function in Excel is a useful tool for calculating the day of the week for a specified date. This function can be used to determine the first day of the month using a simple formula.
  • To exclude non-business days from the calculation, the IF function can be used to identify non-business days and exclude them from the formula. Additionally, holidays and weekends can be excluded by implementing a list of excluded dates in the formula.
  • The formula for calculating the first business day of the month can be applied in different contexts, such as defining different starting dates or dealing with different holiday and weekend schedules.

Are you struggling to determine the first business day of the month in Excel? You’re not alone! This blog post explains the necessary steps to calculate the first business day of each month in just a few clicks.

Formulas for determining the First Business Day of the Month in Excel

Calculating the First Business Day of the Month in Excel refers to determining the initial weekday of the month that isn’t on the weekend. This knowledge can assist individuals in arranging schedules and keeping track of deadlines. Here is a 6-step guide that can be used to accomplish this task effectively in Excel:

  1. Start by entering the month and year into the cells A1 and A2, respectively.
  2. Navigate to cell A3 and enter the formula “=DATE($A$2, $A$1, 1)”.
  3. Navigate to cell A4 and enter the formula “=WEEKDAY(A3)”
  4. A value of either 1 or 7 indicates that the first day is on a weekend, so add the formula “=IF(A4=7, A3+2, IF(A4=1, A3+1, A3))” in cell A5 to calculate the first business day.
  5. The day of the month can be extracted by entering the formula “=DAY(A5)” in cell A6.
  6. The final step is to format the cell A5 as date format, and cell A6 as a general format, which displays the day of the month.

It’s worth noting that this formula calculates the first business day for the US weekend, which only includes Saturdays and Sundays. Moreover, modifying this formula to accommodate other weekends will require adjustments that are specific to the particular weekend being considered.

To ensure accurate results, it’s essential to double-check the formula’s correctness and make any necessary modifications before utilizing it to record critical deadlines. We suggest testing out this formula by calculating time differences between two machines in Excel, as it’s a practical approach to guarantee the formula’s accuracy.

Formulas for determining the First Business Day of the Month in Excel-Calculating the First Business Day of the Month in Excel,

Image credits: chouprojects.com by Yuval Jones

Using WEEKDAY function to get Day of the Week

The Technique of Extracting Day of the Week Using WEEKDAY Function in Excel

To accurately calculate the first business day of the month in Microsoft Excel, one needs to extract the day of the week information from a given date. The easiest and most efficient way to achieve this is by using the WEEKDAY function in Excel.

  1. Begin by selecting a cell in Excel in which you want to extract the day of the week.
  2. Use the WEEKDAY function in the selected cell, with the date inputted in the correct format within the parenthesis.
  3. If required, assign a numerical value to each weekday using the “return_type” argument in the function.
  4. If desired, label the numerical values of the weekdays using an if statement to assign labels in a separate cell.
  5. Verify the output of the function and fine-tune the operation as per the requirements.
  6. Use this extracted day of the week information for further calculations.

It is important to note that the WEEKDAY function starts counting weekdays from Sunday rather than Monday. Therefore, users must adjust this counting scheme if starting the week on a different day.

As you calculate time differences between two machines using Excel, identifying the day of the week is an essential element in finding out the exact duration.

In a recent project for optimizing a manufacturing process, the team used WEEKDAY function to extract the day of the week and calculate the total downtime of a particular machine. This data helped them make informed decisions on scheduling preventive maintenance and decreasing the overall downtime.

Using WEEKDAY function to get Day of the Week-Calculating the First Business Day of the Month in Excel,

Image credits: chouprojects.com by James Woodhock

Excluding Non-Business Days from Calculation

To calculate the First Business Day of the Month in Excel, it’s crucial to exclude non-business days from the calculation. This ensures that the result is an accurate representation of the first business day of the month.

Here are the 6 steps to exclude non-business days from the calculation:

  1. Select the cell where you want to display the result.
  2. Enter the following formula: =WORKDAY(EOMONTH(A1,-1)+1,1,Holidays)
  3. Press Enter.
  4. The result should appear in the selected cell.
  5. Ensure that the “Holidays” argument in the formula reflects the list of non-business days in your region.
  6. Update the formula every month to ensure that it always reflects the correct non-business days.

Additionally, it’s important to note that this formula only works for calculating the first business day of the month. If you need to calculate time differences between two machines in Excel, a different formula will be required.

Pro Tip: Always double-check the “Holidays” argument in the formula to ensure that it reflects the correct non-business days in your region.

Excluding Non-Business Days from Calculation-Calculating the First Business Day of the Month in Excel,

Image credits: chouprojects.com by James Arnold

Applying the Formula in Different Contexts

Calculating the first business day of the month in Excel is a useful tool for any business. To apply the formula in different contexts, it is essential to understand how the formula works. One can easily apply the formula to calculate the first business day of the month for any year.

The formula can be modified by changing the year, the month, or the starting date to calculate the first business day of the month in different contexts. This formula can be useful in planning and scheduling tasks for the first business day of the month in a variety of settings. It is a powerful tool for businesses that need to keep track of important dates and deadlines.

It is important to note that the formula can be modified to suit different contexts without sacrificing accuracy. By adjusting the parameters, one can calculate the first business day of the month in Excel for any given situation.

Calculating time differences between two machines in Excel can be a challenging task. When faced with a similar problem, a colleague came up with an innovative solution to help streamline calculations, which ultimately saved the company time and money. This new approach helped improve the overall efficiency of the business, demonstrating the power of Excel formulas in solving complex problems.

Applying the Formula in Different Contexts-Calculating the First Business Day of the Month in Excel,

Image credits: chouprojects.com by David Woodhock

Some Facts About Calculating the First Business Day of the Month in Excel:

  • ✅ The formula to calculate the first business day of the month in Excel is “=WORKDAY(A1,1,holidays)” where A1 is the date of the beginning of the month and “holidays” is a range of any dates that should be excluded from the calculation, such as national holidays. (Source: Exceljet)
  • ✅ This formula can also be used to calculate the second or third business day of the month by changing the “1” in the formula to “2” or “3”. (Source: Ablebits)
  • ✅ The first business day of the month is important for financial calculations, such as determining when payments are due and calculating interest. (Source: Investopedia)
  • ✅ Excel has a built-in function called “NETWORKDAYS” that calculates the number of business days between two dates, but it does not specifically calculate the first business day of the month. (Source: Excel Campus)
  • ✅ There are also third-party add-ins available for Excel that can help with calculating business days and holidays more efficiently and accurately. (Source: ExtendOffice)

FAQs about Calculating The First Business Day Of The Month In Excel

What is the First Business Day of the Month in Excel?

The First Business Day of the Month in Excel is the first weekday of any given month. It is used to calculate payroll, financial statements, and other important business functions.

How do you Calculate the First Business Day of the Month in Excel?

You can calculate the first business day of the month in Excel by using the WORKDAY function. The formula is =WORKDAY(“mm/dd/yyyy”,1) where you replace the “mm/dd/yyyy” with the first day of the month you want to calculate.

What if the First Business Day of the Month is a Holiday?

If the first business day of the month falls on a holiday, you can use the WORKDAY.INTL function instead. The formula is =WORKDAY.INTL(“mm/dd/yyyy”,1,”xxxxxxx”) where “xxxxxxx” represents the code for the country or region where the company is located.

How do you Exclude Weekends in Calculating the First Business Day of the Month?

You can exclude weekends in calculating the first business day of the month by using the WORKDAY function with the weekends argument set to 2. The formula is =WORKDAY(“mm/dd/yyyy”,1,2).

Can you Use the First Business Day of the Month to Calculate other Business Days?

Yes, you can use the first business day of the month to calculate other business days by adding a number to the formula. For example, if you want to find the third business day of the month, the formula would be =WORKDAY(“mm/dd/yyyy”,3).

What are the Benefits of Calculating the First Business Day of the Month in Excel?

Calculating the first business day of the month in Excel can save time and reduce errors in payroll and financial statements. It also helps businesses plan for upcoming deadlines and events.

Auther name

Jacky Chou is an electrical engineer turned marketer. He is the founder of IndexsyFar & AwayLaurel & Wolf, a couple of FBA businesses, and about 40 affiliate sites. He is a proud native of Vancouver, BC, who has been featured on Entrepreneur.comForbesOberlo, and GoDaddy.