Dates & Time

Excel formula for Add or subtract months from a date

Shift a date forward or back by a number of months with EDATE.

Copy this formula

=EDATE(A2, 3)

How the formula works

EDATE returns the date a given number of months before or after the start date — use a negative number to go back. It handles month-end and leap years correctly, unlike adding raw days.

Examples

=EDATE("2026-01-31", 1)→2026-02-28

One month after Jan 31 lands on Feb 28.

=EDATE(DATE(2026,5,15), -2)→2026-03-15

A negative number goes back in time: two months before 15 May.

=EDATE(DATE(2026,3,10), 12)→2027-03-10

Adding 12 months moves the date forward one year.

Other ways to do this

End of the month

=EOMONTH(A2, 3)

Returns the last day of the month 3 months out.

FAQ

Why not just add 30 days?

Months vary in length, so +30 days drifts. EDATE keeps the same day-of-month and respects month ends.

Why does EDATE return a number like 46127?

The cell is formatted as General, so Excel shows the serial number of the date. Apply a Date format to the cell.

How do I add years to a date?

Multiply the years by 12: =EDATE(A2, 12*5) adds five years.

How do I add days or weeks instead?

Add them directly: =A2+10 adds ten days and =A2+7*2 adds two weeks.

Related formulas

Days between two dates Get the month name from a date

Functions used

EDATE EOMONTH

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