How to convert quarter text like "Q1 2026" to a date in Excel

Q: How do I turn a date back into a quarter label?

="Q"&ROUNDUP(MONTH(B2)/3,0)&" "&YEAR(B2).

Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)

=DATE(RIGHT(A2,4),MID(A2,2,1)*3-2,1)

Take the quarter number and the year and build the first day: =DATE(RIGHT(A2,4),MID(A2,2,1)*3-2,1).

Result on the example: one result per row in B2, filled down to B6
Works in: Every current version
Google Sheets: Same formula

See it work

The formula is already in B2, filled down to B6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

MID(A2,2,1) takes the quarter number, and times 3 minus 2 gives the quarter's first month: 1, 4, 7 or 10. RIGHT(A2,4) takes the year, and DATE builds a real date you can sort, chart and use in SUMIFS.

=DATE(RIGHT(A2,4),MID(A2,2,1)*3-2,1)

Result1/1/2026 (46023)

A2"Q1 2026"
The value in A2.
RIGHT(A2,4)"2026"
RIGHT: Characters from the end of text.
- textA2"Q1 2026"
- num_chars4
MID(A2,2,1)"1"
MID: Characters from the middle of text.
- textA2"Q1 2026"
- start_num2
- num_chars1
MID(A2,2,1)*33
The * operator multiplies.
MID(A2,2,1)*3-21
The - operator subtracts.
DATE(RIGHT(A2,4),MID(A2,2,1)*3-2,1)1/1/2026 (46023)
DATE: Builds a date from parts.
- yearRIGHT(A2,4)"2026"
- monthMID(A2,2,1)*3-21
- day1

In Google Sheets

The same formula works in Google Sheets: =DATE(RIGHT(A2,4),MID(A2,2,1)*3-2,1). 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(DATE(RIGHT(A2,4),MID(A2,2,1)*3,1),0)	3/31/2026, 9/30/2026, 12/31/2025…Different result	The quarter end instead of the start. Last day of the quarter.

Common mistakes

Other layouts need other positions. For "2026-Q1": =DATE(LEFT(A2,4),RIGHT(A2,1)*3-2,1).
Fiscal quarters need the fiscal start: Q1 of a fiscal year that starts in July begins in July of the previous calendar year.

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.

Convert quarter text like "Q1 2026" to a date

In B2, convert the quarter label to the first day of that quarter, and fill down to B6.

Questions

How do I turn a date back into a quarter label?

="Q"&ROUNDUP(MONTH(B2)/3,0)&" "&YEAR(B2).

How do I sort quarter labels in order?

Sort by the converted date. As text, "Q1 2027" sorts before "Q4 2025".

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.