Business days calculator
Count Australian business days between two dates, or add and subtract working days, with national and state public holidays.
What the result means
Business days are weekdays that are not public holidays in the jurisdiction you select. The count includes both the start and end date when they fall on working days, matching spreadsheet NETWORKDAYS.
How it is calculated
Count weekdays from start to end inclusive that are not in the holiday set for the chosen jurisdiction
- Start / end: Calendar dates. Order can be reversed; the signed count becomes negative.
- Jurisdiction: National-only, or a state/territory holiday calendar.
Adding business days walks forward (or backward) one calendar day at a time and only counts down when the day is a weekday and not a holiday. It does not count the start date itself.
Assumptions
- Saturday and Sunday are never business days.
- Substitute days are included when a national holiday falls on a weekend.
- Regional show days and enterprise agreements are not modelled.
Worked example
Ten NSW business days from 19 August 2026
A contract starts on Wednesday 19 August 2026 and allows ten business days to respond.
- Start
- 19 August 2026 is a Wednesday and is not counted when adding days
- Weekends skipped
- 22–23 August, then 29–30 August
- Result
- Wednesday 2 September 2026
Always check whether your contract uses calendar days, business days, or “clear” days, and which jurisdiction’s holidays apply.
How Australian public holidays are applied
National holidays such as New Year’s Day, Australia Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Anzac Day, Christmas and Boxing Day are always excluded, including Monday substitutes when those dates fall on a weekend.
State and territory holidays — Labour Day, King’s Birthday, Melbourne Cup in Victoria, Canberra Day, and others — are generated from published dating rules so later years do not need a new spreadsheet. Local show holidays and some council days are not included.
Questions
Are bank holidays included?
NSW Bank Holiday is a bank closure, not a public holiday for most employees, so it is not treated as a non-business day here.
Does Anzac Day move when it falls on a weekend?
Anzac Day itself stays on 25 April nationally. New South Wales, the ACT and Western Australia add the following Monday when it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, Queensland and the Northern Territory add it after a Sunday only, and Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania add no substitute day. The extra Monday is counted as a public holiday for those jurisdictions.
Read the background
These guides explain the rules behind this calculation in full, without any inputs to fill in.
- How business days are counted in AustraliaInclusive counts, weekends, state public holidays and the difference between counting between two dates and adding days to one.7 min read
- Australian public holidays, state by stateWhich holidays are national, which are local, how substitute days work when a holiday falls on a weekend, and why Easter moves each year.8 min read
Related calculators
- Public holidaysList public holidays for a year in a chosen state or territory, including many observed-Monday rules.
- Workdays / yearCount weekdays minus public holidays in a calendar year for an Australian state or territory.
- Add daysAdd or subtract a number of calendar days from a date, including month and year boundaries.
Sources
Fair Work Ombudsman
Australian public holidays (national dates and substitute-day practice)
Last reviewed 2026-08-19
Dates & time · Last reviewed 19 August 2026
Estimates only. Not tax, legal or financial advice. Check official sources before relying on a figure.
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Printed from OzCalc (ozcalc.com). Last reviewed 19 August 2026. Estimates only — not tax, legal or financial advice.