# How to get the previous business day in Excel

Count one working day back: `=WORKDAY(A2,-1,holidays)`.

**Excel:** `=WORKDAY(A2,-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 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Report date | Previous business day |  | Holidays |
| 2026-07-06 |  |  | 2026-07-03 |
| 2026-07-08 |  |  | 2026-09-07 |
| 2026-09-08 |  |  |  |
| 2026-09-14 |  |  |  |
| 2026-10-03 |  |  |  |

Formula in B2, filled to B6: `=WORKDAY(A2,-1,$D$2:$D$3)`

Result: 7/2/2026; 7/7/2026; 9/4/2026; 9/11/2026; 10/2/2026

## How it works

WORKDAY with -1 counts one working day backward, skipping weekends and the holidays in D2:D3. For Monday, July 6 it skips the weekend and the July 3 holiday and returns Thursday, July 2.

## Other ways

- `=WORKDAY(A2,-1)`: Skips weekends only. (July 3 and September 7 count as business days.)

## Common mistakes

- `=A2-1` returns a Sunday for a Monday report date.
- Holidays must be real dates, and the range should be locked with $ before filling down.

## Questions

**How do I get the next business day?**

`=WORKDAY(A2,1,$D$2:$D$3)`.

**How do I get the business day before today?**

`=WORKDAY(TODAY(),-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/previous-business-day