Contract end date with EDATE
Step 1 of 3
Adding days to a date is easy, but months have 28 to 31 days. A contract that runs for 12 months should end on the same day of the month.
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| A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Start date | Months | End date | |||
| 2 | Mar 15, 2024 | 12 | ||||
| 3 | ||||||
| 4 | ||||||
| 5 | ||||||
| 6 | ||||||
| 7 | ||||||
| 8 |
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Why this works
EDATE(A2,12) moves Mar 15, 2024 forward 12 months to Mar 15, 2025, on the same day of the month. A negative number of months goes back in time. If the day does not exist in the new month, EDATE uses the last day: Jan 31 plus one month is Feb 29 in 2024.
Common mistake: Adding 365 days for a year or 30 days for a month. Leap years and short months then put the date a day or two out.
The answer
- C2
=EDATE(1A2,2B2)
In plain words: The date 2the number of months in B2 after 1the start date in A2.
Use EDATE, for example =EDATE(A2,12) for 12 months later. Use a negative number to go back.
+10 points