Time duration calculator: between two dates and times
Enter a start and an end date and time, and this time duration calculator shows the gap instantly in years, months, days, hours, minutes, seconds and weekdays – including daylight saving time and leap years.
Source: IANA Time Zone Database (local time and daylight saving time in your browser). Updated: .
How it is calculated
How the time duration calculator works
The calculator subtracts the start from the end and shows the duration in two ways:
- Calendar-based – years, months, days, hours, minutes. Full months are counted from the start day; if that day does not exist in a shorter month, its last day is used, so 31 Jan to 28 Feb is one month.
- In a single unit – days, hours, minutes, seconds – as time actually elapsed. If a daylight saving change falls in the period, this differs from calendar days by one hour. With dates only (no times), whole calendar days of 24 hours are counted instead – daylight saving time does not affect the result.
| Unit | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 week | 7 days = 168 hours |
| 1 day | 24 hours |
| 1 hour | 60 minutes = 3,600 seconds |
| 1 minute | 60 seconds |
Adding and subtracting times
Choose “Add and subtract times (h:mm:ss)” and the time calculator works with durations instead of calendar dates. Write one time per line; a minus in front subtracts it. You can type 1:30 (hours:minutes), 2:45:30 (with seconds), 2h 15m, 90 min or decimal hours such as 1.5 h. A line like 22:30 > 06:15 gives the duration from one clock time to another – past midnight when the end is not after the start (here 7:45). Example: 1:30 + 2:45:30 − 0:20 + 7:45 = 11:40:30, which is 11.675 decimal hours or 700.5 minutes. To turn minutes into decimal hours, divide by 60: 45 min = 0.75 h.
Example calculation
1 Jan 2026 08:00 to 31 Dec 2026 17:00 = 11 months, 30 days, 9 hours = 364.38 days = 8,745 hours = 524,700 minutes = 31,482,000 seconds = 52 weeks and 9 hours. The period contains 261 weekdays Monday to Friday.
Time between dates: quick reference
| From | To | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 2026 | 1 Jan 2027 | 365 days = 52 weeks 1 day = 8,760 hours |
| 1 Jan 2028 | 1 Jan 2029 | 366 days (leap year) = 52 weeks 2 days |
| 1 Jan 2026 | 26 Sep 2026 | 268 days = 38 weeks 2 days |
| Mon 09:00 | Fri 17:30, same week | 4 days 8 hours 30 minutes = 104.5 hours |
| 22:30 | 06:15 the next day | 7 hours 45 minutes |
Without times, the count runs from midnight at the start of the first day to midnight at the start of the last day, so the end day itself is not included. To count both days, add one day or set the end time to 24:00.
How much time elapsed between two years?
For a span between two years, such as 1014 to 1618, subtract the years: 1618 − 1014 = 604 years. With exact dates the calculator also gives days and hours: enter 1014-01-01 and 1618-01-01 without times and it shows 604 years, or 220,607 days (5,294,568 hours). Dates before 1582 are counted in the proleptic Gregorian calendar. Historical sources usually date such years in the Julian calendar, so their day counts can differ by several days – the number of years stays the same.
| From | To | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Jan 1014 | 1 Jan 1618 | 604 years = 220,607 days |
| 1 Jan 1618 | 1 Jan 2026 | 408 years = 149,019 days |
| 4 Jul 1776 | 4 Jul 2026 | 250 years = 91,310 days |
| 1 Jan 2000 | 1 Jan 2026 | 26 years = 9,497 days |
| 1 Jan 2026 | 1 Feb 2026 | 1 month = 31 days = 744 hours |
| 1 Mar 2026 | 1 Jun 2026 | 3 months = 92 days = 2,208 hours |
Weekdays vs. calendar days
Weekdays count every Monday to Friday from start date to end date, both included. Public holidays are not deducted – use the working days calculator for German holidays by state.
Calculating a duration in Excel or Google Sheets
With the start in cell A2 and the end in B2, =B2-A2 returns the difference as a date value; formatted as a number it shows the number of days including a decimal fraction for the time. For a duration that can exceed 24 hours, format the cell as [hh]:mm, otherwise the sheet rolls back to 00:00 after midnight. For plain decimal hours use =(B2-A2)*24, e.g. rounded with =ROUND((B2-A2)*24,2).
Related tools: the date calculator adds days to a date, the countdown counts down to a future moment, the age calculator gives an exact age, and hours to days converts long durations.
Frequently asked questions
Is daylight saving time taken into account?
Yes, as soon as times are entered. Times are read in your browser’s time zone. Hours, minutes and seconds show the time that actually passes: in Germany, 25 Oct 2026 01:00 to 26 Oct 2026 01:00 is 25 hours, 29 Mar 2026 01:00 to 30 Mar 2026 01:00 is 23 hours. The calendar-based result still counts one calendar day. A time that occurs twice when clocks go back uses the first occurrence; a time skipped when clocks go forward is moved forward by the length of the gap. With dates only (or 00:00 as both start and end time), the calculator counts whole calendar days and mentions the clock change only as a note: 1 Jan 2026 to 26 Sep 2026 is exactly 268 days, even though clocks go forward in between.
How are months counted when a month is shorter?
31 Jan to 28 Feb is one full month because February has no 31st. 31 Jan to 31 Mar is two months, to 1 Mar one month and one day.
How are leap years handled?
29 February is counted: 1 Jan 2028 to 1 Jan 2029 is 366 days. 29 Feb 2028 to 28 Feb 2029 is exactly one year (365 days).
What if the end is before the start?
The duration is shown with a minus sign, e.g. −9 days, 6 hours – useful to see how long ago something happened.
Which date formats can I use?
ISO 8601 (2026-09-26), US format (09/26/2026) or German format (26.09.2026). Times in 24-hour format, e.g. 08:30.
How do I calculate a time duration in Excel or Google Sheets?
With the start in A2 and the end in B2, =B2-A2 gives the difference as a date value. Format the cell as [hh]:mm for durations over 24 hours, otherwise the sheet rolls back to 00:00 after midnight. For decimal hours use =(B2-A2)*24.
How many days are between two dates?
Enter both dates and leave the times empty – “In days” shows the difference. 1 Jan 2026 to 26 Sep 2026 is exactly 268 days, counted midnight to midnight, so the end day itself is not included. Without times, whole calendar days are counted and daylight saving time does not shift the result. To include the end day, set the end time to 24:00 (269 days).
How much time is between two times?
For two times on the same day, enter the same date twice, e.g. 08:45 to 13:20 = 4 hours 35 minutes. If the end is after midnight, use the next day as the end date. To add durations (7:30 + 8:15) use the hours calculator; for hours worked minus a break, the work hours calculator.
How do I calculate the time since a date?
Enter the past date as the start and today as the end; add times if you need hours and minutes. From 1 Jan 2026 to 26 Sep 2026, 268 days have passed. For a date in the future, swap the two – the result is then the time left until that day.
How do I add days and hours to a date and time?
Choose “Add or subtract time from a date and time” at the top, enter the start date and time, then the days, hours and minutes. Example: January 1, 2026, 8:00 plus 2 days, 5 hours and 30 minutes gives January 3, 2026, 1:30 pm. Days count as calendar days, hours and minutes as real elapsed time: across a daylight saving change, “plus 1 day” keeps the same clock time, “plus 24 hours” does not.
How do I add hours and minutes?
Choose “Add and subtract times (h:mm:ss)” and write each time on its own line, for example 1:30 and 2:45. The calculator counts minutes and seconds up to 60 and carries over to the next unit: 1:30 + 2:45 = 4:15:00. A minus in front of a line subtracts that time.
How many weeks are between two dates?
Divide the number of days by 7. 1 Jan 2026 to 26 Sep 2026 is 268 days = 38 weeks and 2 days; the result “In weeks and days” shows this directly.
How much time elapsed from 1014 to 1618?
604 years (1618 − 1014). From 1 January 1014 to 1 January 1618 that is 220,607 days in the proleptic Gregorian calendar; a count in the Julian calendar differs by a few days.
How many hours are between two dates?
Enter both dates without times; “In hours” shows the result. 1 Jan 2026 to 1 Feb 2026 is 31 days, so 31 × 24 = 744 hours. With times entered, the hours are real elapsed time, so a daylight saving change in between adds or removes one hour.
Does the calculator include the end date?
No. It counts from the start of the first day to the start of the last day, so 1 to 2 January is one day. To count both days, set the end time to 24:00 or add one day to the result.
Sources and legal basis
As of: · Editorial policy
Related tools
- Hours calculatorHours calculator: hours between two times minus breaks, add or subtract hours and minutes, convert to decimal hours (7.75 h = 7:45), with pay and CSV.
- Average time calculatorAverage time calculator: paste times in minutes and seconds or hours, get the mean, median, fastest and slowest – also average clock times past midnight.
- Work Hours CalculatorFree work hours calculator with lunch break: net hours worked per day or week, decimal hours for payroll, and overtime vs. your target hours.
- Monthly timesheet templateTimesheet template for any month: prefilled with start, end and break times or blank to print, with daily hours and monthly total. Free, no sign-up.
- Working days calculator: Germany 2026 / 2027Working days in Germany 2026: 252 to 254 depending on the state. Calculator with all public holidays, working days per month, 5- or 6-day week, plus 2027.
- Online TimerFree online countdown timer: enter any time or tap a 5, 10 or 15 minute preset, get an alarm when time is up, remaining time in the tab. No sign-up.
- Minutes to hours converter (and hours to minutes)Minutes to hours: divide by 60, so 90 min = 1.5 h. Type minutes for decimal hours and hours-and-minutes, or go back to minutes, with a timesheet chart.
- Hours to days and days to hours converterHours to days: divide by 24, so 100 h = 4.167 days (4 days 4 hours). Type hours for days, days plus hours and 8-hour workdays, or go back from days to hours.
- Minutes to seconds and seconds to minutes converterMinutes to seconds: multiply by 60, so 2.5 min = 150 s. Type minutes for seconds and the m:ss form, or seconds for minutes, plus the decimal trap.