How the countdown works
Pick a target date and the calculator counts the calendar days from today, or from any other starting date you choose. It uses whole calendar days, so if today is October 15 and your target is October 25, there are 10 days to go. The result is also shown as weeks and days, months and days, and business days, so you can plan in whatever unit makes sense: “six weeks until the wedding” or “22 working days until the project deadline”. If the target date is in the past, the calculator tells you how many days ago it was instead.
By default the target is next New Year’s Day, but you can enter any date: a holiday, vacation, birthday, exam, due date, retirement or product launch.
Business days and weekends
Business days count Monday through Friday between today and the target date, not including the target itself. This is useful for work deadlines, shipping cut-offs and notice periods. The calculator also estimates how many weekends are left, which is handy for planning a renovation or counting free Saturdays before a move. Public holidays are not subtracted because they vary by country and employer, so take off any that apply to you.
Counting months is tricky
Months are not all the same length, which makes “how many months until” an awkward question. This calculator counts whole calendar months first, from today’s date to the same date in a later month, then adds the remaining days. From January 31 to March 15, for example, it counts one month to February 28 or 29 and then the remaining days. If you need an approximate figure, dividing the total days by 30.44, the average month length, gives a decimal number of months.
Ideas for using a countdown
Countdowns are motivating. Teachers post the days until summer break, runners count down to race day, and families count the sleeps until a holiday. For bigger goals, knowing the number of days left helps you break work into chunks: if you have 84 days until an exam and 12 chapters to review, you need to cover one chapter a week. Pair this tool with the date difference calculator to measure the time between two other dates, or with the pregnancy due date calculator for an estimate of your baby’s arrival. Bookmark the page with your date in the address bar to come back to the same countdown later. You can also share that link with friends or family so everyone counts down to the same day.
Frequently asked questions
How many days until Christmas?
Enter December 25 as the target date and the calculator counts the days from today.
Does the count include today?
No. It counts the number of days from today to the target date, so tomorrow is 1 day away.
Can I count down from a date other than today?
Yes. Change the “counting from” date.
How many weeks until a date?
The results show the countdown as whole weeks plus remaining days.