How to calculate an end date from a start date and a term in months in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=EDATE(B2,C2)-1Add the term with EDATE and subtract a day: =EDATE(B2,C2)-1. A 12-month term from January 1 ends December 31.
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
D2, filled down toD6 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in D2, filled down to D6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
EDATE moves the start date forward by the term and lands on the anniversary, which is the first day of the next term. Subtracting 1 gives the last day of this one: a 24-month lease from March 15 ends on March 14.
=EDATE(B2,C2)-1Result46387
B21/1/2026The value in B2.
C212The value in C2.
EDATE(B2,C2)1/1/2027 (46388)EDATE: Date a number of months before or after.- start_date
B21/1/2026 - months
C212
- start_date
EDATE(B2,C2)-146387The - operator subtracts.
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =EDATE(B2,C2)-1. We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =EOMONTH(B2,C2-1) | 12/31/2026, 2/29/2028, 7/31/2026…Different result | Ends on a month end, for contracts that always run to the end of a month. Mid-month starts end at a month end. |
| =DATE(YEAR(B2),MONTH(B2)+C2,DAY(B2)-1) | 12/31/2026, 3/14/2028, 7/31/2026… | Builds the date from parts. The same here, but for starts on the 29th to 31st it can roll into the next month. |
Common mistakes
=EDATE(B2,C2)without the -1 gives the renewal date, a day after the contract ends.- Adding 30 days per month (
B2+30*C2) drifts by several days over a long term.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Calculate an end date from a start date and a term in months
D2, calculate the last day of each contract from its start date and its term in months, and fill down to D6.Questions
How do I calculate the end date for a term in years?
=EDATE(B2,C2*12)-1.
How do I find the days left on a contract?
=D2-TODAY(), or with an as-of date in a cell, =D2-$F$1.
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.