Subtract Business Days From a Date (Working Days Before)

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Disclaimer: Results are computed from open-source holiday data and general conventions and may be incomplete or wrong (for example, regional, ad-hoc or newly declared holidays). They are not legal or financial advice. Verify any contractual, statutory or legally binding deadline against an official source before relying on it. API spec · Pricing & API keys

When you need this

Working backwards is common when a task must be done a set number of business days before a deadline: sending a notice, submitting a payment so it settles in time, or scheduling a cut-off. Enter the deadline as the start date and a negative number of days.

Worked example (United States holidays)

5 business days before Thursday, December 31, 2026 is Wednesday, December 23, 2026. Christmas Day (Friday, December 25) and the weekend of December 26 and 27 are skipped. (Prefilled above.)

The deadline itself is not counted. For the forward direction see add business days to a date.

The same calculation is available as a JSON API, so you can run it inside an accounting, ERP or workflow system. Get a free API key (1,000 requests a month) or read the OpenAPI spec.

Holiday data comes from an open-source dataset and may be incomplete, especially for regional, ad-hoc or newly declared holidays. Check legally or financially critical deadlines against an official source.

Frequently asked questions

How do I subtract business days?

Enter the later date as the start date and a negative number, such as -5.

Does it skip holidays when counting backwards?

Yes. Weekends, public holidays for the selected country and region, and any company holidays you list are skipped in both directions.