Time Calculator
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.
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.
| Unit | Equals |
|---|---|
| 1 week | 7 days = 168 hours |
| 1 day | 24 hours |
| 1 hour | 60 minutes = 3,600 seconds |
| 1 minute | 60 seconds |
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.
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).
Frequently asked questions
Is daylight saving time taken into account?
Yes. Times are read in your browser’s time zone. Hours, minutes and seconds show the time that actually passes: in Germany, 25 Oct 2026 00:00 to 26 Oct 2026 00:00 is 25 hours, 29 Mar 2026 00:00 to 30 Mar 2026 00:00 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.
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 268 days, counted midnight to midnight, so the end day itself is not included. To include it, 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.
Sources and legal basis
As of:
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