Due date from payment terms (WORKDAY + TEXT)
The problem
Problem statement
Terms say "net 30 working days", so the due date has to skip weekends and come back as a readable date. The issue date is in B2 and the term length in C2. Put the due date in the Due cell D2 as yyyy-mm-dd.
The result must be a date string in yyyy-mm-dd form — a serial number fails the case.
Problem data
Show the sheet as a table (selectable, copyable)
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Invoice | Issued | Terms (workdays) | Due |
| 2 | INV-880 | 2026-01-20 | 30 | |
| 3 | INV-881 | 2026-02-02 | 30 | |
| 4 | INV-882 | 2026-03-02 | 5 |
Notes
WORKDAY(start, days) steps forward the given number of working days, skipping weekends, and returns a date serial. TEXT turns that serial into the format you want to show. The construction is the mirror image of NETWORKDAYS, and both accept a holiday range as their third argument.
How to approach
Your answer goes in D2. On submit we re-run your formula against 3 different sets of input, so a hardcoded number will fail — the formula has to follow the cells.
- Target cell is D2
- WORKDAY moves forward by working days from the issue date
- A serial number is not a date string — wrap it in TEXT
- Shape: =TEXT(WORKDAY(?, ?), "yyyy-mm-dd")
Official solutions
Show 1 solution — try it yourself first
Approach 1: WORKDAY inside TEXT
=TEXT(WORKDAY(B2, C2), "yyyy-mm-dd")
From 2026-01-20, thirty working days lands on 2026-03-03; TEXT then renders that serial as a date string. Change the terms to 5 and the same formula returns 2026-03-09 from 2026-03-02.
Function guide
FAQ
How do I add working days to a date?
=WORKDAY(start, days). It skips weekends and returns a date serial, so wrap it in TEXT (or apply a date format) to display it.
WORKDAY or just adding 30 days?
Adding 30 calendar days lands on a weekend about 40% of the time. WORKDAY only counts Monday to Friday, which is what "net 30 working days" means.