Business Days Between Dates

A business day is any day on which a country's banks, courts, and government offices are open - generally Monday through Friday excluding federal/national/banking holidays. The concept is foundational to financial settlement (T+1 and T+2 trade settlement rules at the SEC), legal deadlines (Federal Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 6 counts business days for filing windows under 11 days), and contract performance (the UCC default for ‘reasonable time’).

The US has 11 federal holidays designated by Congress in 5 U.S. Code § 6103. The list expanded to include Juneteenth on 17 June 2021 when President Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act, making it the first new federal holiday since MLK Day was added in 1983. The list also includes Columbus Day (1968), Veterans Day (1938 as Armistice Day, renamed 1954), and Presidents Day (de facto from Washington's Birthday).

UK bank holidays are governed by the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 1971, which initially recognised five days; subsequent royal proclamations and government decisions have added Christmas Day, Boxing Day, the early-May Bank Holiday (1978), and various commemoration days like the Platinum Jubilee 2022. Scotland and Northern Ireland have slightly different lists. The UK government's gov.uk site publishes the authoritative annual list.

India observes three national holidays (Republic Day on 26 January, Independence Day on 15 August, Gandhi Jayanti on 2 October) plus a long list of regional and religious holidays under the Negotiable Instruments Act 1881. Each state government publishes its own list of gazetted holidays - Maharashtra recognises Eid, Holi, Diwali, Christmas; Tamil Nadu adds Pongal; West Bengal adds Durga Puja. This calculator's India preset uses the national/widely-observed list.

Canada's federal holidays are governed by the Canada Labour Code (for federally regulated sectors) and provincial Employment Standards Acts (for everyone else). All provinces recognise New Year, Good Friday, Canada Day, Labour Day, and Christmas. Family Day (third Monday of February) was introduced by Alberta in 1990 and adopted by Ontario in 2008, BC in 2013, and most other provinces by 2025. Truth and Reconciliation Day became federal on 30 September 2021.

The US Federal Reserve banking system observes 11 holidays per year, mostly identical to the federal civilian holidays but with some differences (banks observe Columbus Day, NYSE does not; banks close on Good Friday for some operations but most markets are closed). For commercial paper settlement, ACH transfers, and wire windows, the Fed holiday list at federalreserve.gov is authoritative.

Long-weekend bridges - when a Monday holiday is paired with the preceding weekend - are increasingly recognised in scheduling tools. This calculator naturally captures the loss of a business day when Monday Memorial Day or Labor Day falls in the range. International business contracts increasingly specify ‘X business days in country Y’ precisely to avoid disputes; the country toggle here lets you switch between the four major jurisdictions.