Spreadsheet Practice

How to count dates by quarter in Excel

Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)

=COUNTIFS(B2:B13,">="&DATE(G1,G2*3-2,1),B2:B13,"<"&DATE(G1,G2*3+1,1))

Turn the year and quarter into a date range: =COUNTIFS(B2:B13,">="&DATE(G1,G2*3-2,1),B2:B13,"<"&DATE(G1,G2*3+1,1)).

Result on the example
4 in G3
Works in
Every current version
Google Sheets
Same formula

See it work

The formula is already in G3. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.

How it works

Quarter 2 starts in month 2*3-2 = 4 (April) and the next quarter starts in month 2*3+1 = 7 (July). DATE turns those into real dates, and COUNTIFS counts close dates from April 1 up to, but not including, July 1.

D-501 also closed in a second quarter, but of 2025, so the year keeps it out.

=COUNTIFS(B2:B13,">="&DATE(G1,G2*3-2,1),B2:B13,"<"&DATE(G1,G2*3+1,1))

Result4

  1. B2:B1312 rows × 1 col: 5/14/2025, 11/3/2025, 1/15/2026, 2/28/2026, …

    A range: 12 cells in one column.

  2. G12026

    The value in G1.

  3. G22

    The value in G2.

  4. G2*36

    The * operator multiplies.

  5. G2*3-24

    The - operator subtracts.

  6. DATE(G1,G2*3-2,1)4/1/2026 (46113)

    DATE: Builds a date from parts.

    • yearG12026
    • monthG2*3-24
    • day1
  7. ">="&DATE(G1,G2*3-2,1)">=46113"

    The & operator joins as text.

  8. G2*36

    The * operator multiplies.

  9. G2*3+17

    The + operator adds.

  10. DATE(G1,G2*3+1,1)7/1/2026 (46204)

    DATE: Builds a date from parts.

    • yearG12026
    • monthG2*3+17
    • day1
  11. "<"&DATE(G1,G2*3+1,1)"<46204"

    The & operator joins as text.

  12. COUNTIFS(B2:B13,">="&DATE(G1,G2*3-2,1),B2:B13,"<"&DATE(G1,G2*3+1,1))4

    COUNTIFS: Counts rows that meet every condition.

    • criteria_range1B2:B1312 rows × 1 col: 5/14/2025, 11/3/2025, 1/15/2026, 2/28/2026, …
    • criteria1">="&DATE(G1,G2*3-2,1)">=46113"
    • criteria_range2B2:B1312 rows × 1 col: 5/14/2025, 11/3/2025, 1/15/2026, 2/28/2026, …
    • criteria2"<"&DATE(G1,G2*3+1,1)"<46204"

In Google Sheets

The same formula works in Google Sheets: =COUNTIFS(B2:B13,">="&DATE(G1,G2*3-2,1),B2:B13,"<"&DATE(G1,G2*3+1,1)). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns 4.

Other ways to do it

Each one was run on the same example sheet.

FormulaResultWhen to use it
=SUMPRODUCT((YEAR(B2:B13)=G1)*(ROUNDUP(MONTH(B2:B13)/3,0)=G2))4Works out each date's quarter: months 1 to 3 give 1, 4 to 6 give 2, and so on. Readable, and the same idea gives a quarter column: =ROUNDUP(MONTH(B2)/3,0).
=SUMPRODUCT(--(ROUNDUP(MONTH(B2:B13)/3,0)=G2))5Different resultIgnores the year: use it to compare the same quarter across years. Also counts D-501 from the second quarter of 2025.

Common mistakes

  • DATE(G1,13,1) is fine: DATE rolls month 13 over to January of the next year, so quarter 4 works without a special case.
  • Fiscal quarters that don't start in January need an offset. For a year starting in July, the fiscal quarter is =ROUNDUP(MONTH(EDATE(B2,-6))/3,0).

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.

Count dates by quarter

In G3, count the deals that closed in the quarter in G2 of the year in G1.

Questions

How do I show the quarter as text like "Q2 2026"?

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

How do I count every quarter in a table?

List the quarter numbers 1 to 4 in a column and fill the COUNTIFS formula down, pointing G2 at that column.

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.