# How to find the first business day of the month in Excel

Count one working day from the end of last month: `=WORKDAY(EOMONTH(A2,-1),1,holidays)`.

**Excel:** `=WORKDAY(EOMONTH(A2,-1),1,$D$2:$D$3)` (Every current version)

**Google Sheets:** the same formula works.

## Example

Sample data (row 1 is the header):

| A | B | C | D |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Month | First business day |  | Holidays |
| 2026-01-15 |  |  | 2026-01-01 |
| 2026-02-10 |  |  | 2026-09-07 |
| 2026-03-20 |  |  |  |
| 2026-08-05 |  |  |  |
| 2026-09-30 |  |  |  |
| 2026-12-01 |  |  |  |

Formula in B2, filled to B7: `=WORKDAY(EOMONTH(A2,-1),1,$D$2:$D$3)`

Result: 1/2/2026; 2/2/2026; 3/2/2026; 8/3/2026; 9/1/2026; 12/1/2026

## How it works

`EOMONTH(A2,-1)` is the last day of the previous month, and WORKDAY counts one working day forward from it, skipping weekends and holidays. That is the 1st itself when it is a working day; in January 2026, New Year's Day moves it to Friday, January 2.

## Other ways

- `=WORKDAY(EOMONTH(A2,-1),1)`: Weekends only. (January 1 counts as a business day.)

## Common mistakes

- Starting from the 1st, `WORKDAY(EOMONTH(A2,-1)+1,1)`, skips the 1st even when it is a working day.
- Keep the holiday list current; it needs next year's dates too.

## Questions

**How do I find the 3rd business day of the month?**

Count 3 days instead of 1: `=WORKDAY(EOMONTH(A2,-1),3,$D$2:$D$3)`.

**How do I get the last business day of the month?**

`=WORKDAY(EOMONTH(A2,0)+1,-1,$D$2:$D$3)`.

Every formula and result on this page was checked by running it in the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on 2026-10-30.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/formulas/first-business-day-of-the-month