Date Difference Calculator

Find the exact distance between two dates, in days, weeks and calendar months.

Start date

End date

Two dates, two different answers

The gap between two dates has two correct answers depending on what you are counting, and travel is the context where picking the wrong one is expensive. This tool shows both so the choice is visible rather than assumed.

The exclusive count

One date subtracted from the other. This is the number of nights between them, and the answer you want for accommodation.

The inclusive count

That figure plus one, counting both end dates. This is the number of days of presence, and the answer immigration rules are written in.

Months are not a fixed number of days

Calendar months run to the corresponding date, so the same "three months" can be 89 days or 92. The breakdown shows the calendar figure alongside the day count.

A worked example

From 1 June to 20 June is 19 by subtraction and 20 counting both ends. If you are booking a hotel you want 19. If you are checking a visa allowance you want 20. The single most common travel-date error is carrying the first number into the second question.

Where people get this wrong

Using a spreadsheet subtraction for a visa question

Subtracting dates gives the exclusive count. Immigration rules use the inclusive one, so the spreadsheet is always one day optimistic.

Converting months to days before applying a rule

If a rule says three months, count three calendar months. Converting to 90 days first introduces an error of up to two days in either direction.

Ignoring which end the deadline attaches to

A passport rule measured from departure and the same rule measured from arrival differ by the entire length of the trip.

Common questions

Why does this show two different totals?

Because both are right for different questions. The exclusive count is nights; the inclusive count is days of presence. Travel rules use the inclusive one.

How many days is three months?

Between 89 and 92, depending on which three months. That is why a rule written in months should be counted in months rather than converted.

Which count should I use for a visa or passport rule?

The inclusive one. Both the day you arrive and the day you leave are days you were present, and immigration rules count them.

Next steps

The questions travellers usually ask after this one.