How to Add Days to a Date in Google Sheets
Just add the number to the date: =A2+30 gives the date 30 days after the one in A2. Dates are numbers, so arithmetic works directly.
=A2+30
A2 holds a real date; adding 30 returns the date 30 days later. Subtract to go backwards: =A2-30.
How it works
Google Sheets stores dates as serial numbers (days since 1899-12-30), so adding a whole number simply moves the date forward by that many days. For business days that skip weekends, use WORKDAY. To move by whole months regardless of month length, EDATE is safer than adding 30. Make sure the source cell is a true date, not text, or the arithmetic fails.
Variations
Add working days (skip weekends)
=WORKDAY(A2,10)
Returns the date 10 business days after A2; add a holidays range as a third argument to skip those too.
Add whole months
=EDATE(A2,3)
Moves exactly 3 months ahead and lands on the correct day even across months of different lengths.
Add days to today
=TODAY()+14
A due date two weeks from now that updates automatically each day.
Examples
| Scenario | Formula |
|---|---|
| Invoice due 30 days after the date | =A2+30 |
| Delivery 5 business days out | =WORKDAY(A2,5) |
FAQ
Why does adding a number give a weird decimal instead of a date?
The result cell is formatted as a number. Select it and choose Format → Number → Date.
How do I subtract days instead?
Use a minus sign: =A2-30 returns the date 30 days earlier.
How do I skip weekends?
Use WORKDAY: =WORKDAY(A2,10) counts only Monday-Friday.
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