Business Days Calculator Australia
Calculate working days between two dates in Australia. Exclude Saturdays, Sundays and major Australian public holidays, choose your state or territory, add custom holidays and compare business days with total calendar days.
Date Range
Enter a start and end date, then choose how weekends and public holidays should be treated.
Use this for company shutdowns, local show holidays, rostered non-working days or other dates you want excluded.
Calculation Summary
The summary shows which rules were applied to the selected period.
Public Holiday Note
Australian public holidays can vary by state, territory, locality and year. This calculator includes major national and common state/territory-wide holidays. Local show days and employer-specific closures should be entered as custom dates.
Business Day Breakdown
Review each date in the selected range and see whether it was counted as a business day, weekend or excluded holiday.
| Date | Day | Status | Holiday / Reason |
|---|
How to Use the Business Days Calculator Australia
Enter a start date and end date, then choose your Australian state or territory. By default, the calculator excludes Saturdays, Sundays and major public holidays.
You can choose whether the start date and end date should be included. You can also add custom non-working dates for local public holidays, company shutdowns or other days that should not count as working days.
The calculator shows:
- Total business days;
- Total calendar days;
- Weekdays in the selected period;
- Weekend days excluded;
- Public and custom holidays excluded;
- Approximate business weeks; and
- A date-by-date working day breakdown.
What Is a Business Day in Australia?
For general planning purposes, a business day usually refers to a weekday from Monday to Friday that is not an applicable public holiday.
The exact legal definition can differ depending on a contract, legislation, court rule, government agency, financial institution or industry.
Business Days vs Calendar Days
Calendar days include every day in the period:
- Monday to Friday;
- Saturdays;
- Sundays; and
- Public holidays.
Business days normally exclude weekends and applicable public holidays.
Business Days Calculation Example
Suppose a period runs from Monday to the following Friday and contains no public holiday.
The range contains:
- 12 calendar days if both dates are included;
- Two Saturdays;
- Two Sundays; and
- Eight Monday-to-Friday weekdays.
Therefore:
If one weekday were an applicable public holiday, the result would reduce to seven business days.
Does the Business Days Calculator Include the Start Date?
You can choose whether the start date should be included.
If Include Start Date is enabled and the starting date is an eligible business day, it is counted.
If it is disabled, counting begins on the following date.
Does It Include the End Date?
Yes by default, but you can turn this off.
Different contracts and statutory time periods can use different counting rules, so the inclusion settings allow you to model the required convention.
Does the Calculator Exclude Weekends?
Yes. By default, Saturdays and Sundays are excluded.
You can disable this option if you need to calculate a non-standard working schedule.
Does the Calculator Include Australian Public Holidays?
The calculator includes major national holidays and a set of common state and territory-wide holiday rules.
Australian holiday arrangements can vary because some dates are:
- State-specific;
- Territory-specific;
- Regional;
- Local show holidays;
- Declared for a particular year; or
- Observed on substitute dates.
Australian National Public Holidays
Major holidays commonly relevant across Australia include:
- New Year’s Day;
- Australia Day;
- Good Friday;
- Easter-related holidays where applicable;
- ANZAC Day;
- Christmas Day; and
- Boxing Day.
Substitute holiday arrangements can apply when certain holidays fall on weekends.
Why Do Public Holidays Differ by State?
In addition to national holidays, Australian states and territories can have different holidays such as:
- Labour Day;
- King’s Birthday;
- Adelaide Cup Day;
- Canberra Day;
- Recreation Day;
- Picnic Day;
- Western Australia Day; and
- other regional or special holidays.
That is why the calculator includes a state or territory selector.
Queensland Business Days Calculator
Select Queensland to apply the Queensland holiday rules included in the calculator.
Local show holidays, including some regional show days, may vary by location and should be added manually when relevant.
NSW Business Days Calculator
Select New South Wales to calculate weekdays while applying the NSW holiday rules included in this tool.
Local or industry-specific holidays may still need to be added manually.
Victoria Business Days Calculator
Select Victoria to apply the Victorian rules included in the calculator.
Some Victorian public holidays, such as holidays linked to major events, can have special or annually declared arrangements. Verify official dates when the calculation is legally important.
Western Australia Business Days Calculator
Select Western Australia to include the major statewide WA holidays represented in this calculator.
South Australia Business Days Calculator
Select South Australia when the relevant working-day period is based in SA.
Some South Australian holiday arrangements and part-day holidays can require special treatment depending on the purpose of the calculation.
Tasmania Business Days Calculator
Tasmania has some regional holiday differences. Select Tasmania for the major statewide rules included here, and use the custom holiday field for relevant local holidays.
ACT Business Days Calculator
Select the Australian Capital Territory to include common ACT public holidays such as Canberra Day where represented by the calculator.
Northern Territory Business Days Calculator
Select the Northern Territory to apply the NT rules included in this calculator.
Regional show days can differ across the Territory, so custom dates may be needed.
How to Add a Custom Public Holiday
Enter custom dates in the format:
Enter one date per line.
For example:
2026-12-31
These dates will be treated as non-business days when they fall inside the selected range.
Can I Use This Calculator for Company Shutdown Days?
Yes. Add any employer-specific closure dates to the custom holiday field.
This can be useful for:
- Christmas shutdowns;
- Office closure days;
- Factory shutdown periods;
- Rostered business closures; or
- internal planning calendars.
How Many Business Days Are in a Week?
Under a standard Monday-to-Friday working week:
Public holidays can reduce the number of actual business days in a particular week.
How Many Business Days Are in a Month?
There is no fixed number because months vary in length and their weekdays fall differently each year.
A month commonly contains roughly 20 to 23 weekdays before public holidays are deducted.
How Many Business Days Are in a Year?
A normal year contains 365 calendar days and a leap year contains 366. After weekends are removed, there are generally around 260 or 261 weekdays before public holidays are deducted.
The actual number of working days depends on the year, location and applicable holidays.
Can I Use Business Days for a Payment Deadline?
You can use the calculator as a planning aid, but contractual payment terms can define business days differently.
For example, a contract may specify:
- A particular state;
- A particular city;
- Banking days;
- Settlement days;
- excluded holiday periods; or
- whether the starting day is counted.
Use the wording of the relevant agreement where the deadline is legally significant.
Can I Calculate 5 Business Days From a Date?
This page currently calculates business days between two selected dates. You can adjust the end date until the result reaches the required number of business days.
A separate future version of the tool can also be designed to add or subtract a specific number of business days from a starting date.
Business Days vs Working Days
The phrases are often used interchangeably in everyday language, but their meaning can differ depending on context.
A business may operate weekends, shift workers may have different working days and a legal document may specifically define the term “Business Day”.
For this calculator, the default interpretation is Monday to Friday excluding applicable holidays.
Business Days Calculator Assumptions
This calculator assumes:
- The standard weekend is Saturday and Sunday;
- Dates use the Gregorian calendar;
- Business days are normally Monday to Friday;
- Selected major public holidays are excluded when enabled;
- Custom dates are excluded when entered;
- Holiday dates falling on weekends are not double-counted;
- Start and end date treatment follows the selected options;
- Local show holidays may require manual entry;
- Employer-specific shutdowns are not automatically included; and
- Results are for general planning rather than legal advice.
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Business Days Calculator Australia FAQs
How do I calculate business days between two dates?
Count the eligible Monday-to-Friday dates in the period and subtract applicable public holidays. This calculator performs that calculation automatically.
Does the calculator exclude weekends?
Yes. Saturdays and Sundays are excluded by default, although you can turn this option off.
Does it exclude Australian public holidays?
Yes. The calculator includes major national and common state or territory-wide public holidays when the public holiday option is enabled.
Can I choose my Australian state?
Yes. You can select ACT, NSW, NT, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria or Western Australia.
Can I add my own holidays?
Yes. Enter custom non-business dates one per line using the YYYY-MM-DD format.
Does the start date count as a business day?
You can choose whether the start date and end date are included in the calculation.
Are business days the same as calendar days?
No. Calendar days include every date, while business days normally exclude weekends and applicable public holidays.