The Excel MONTH function returns the month from a specified date serial number. In this guide, we’re going to show you how to use the this function and also throw in some tips and error handling methods.


Supported versions

  • All versions

Excel MONTH Function Syntax

MONTH(serial_number)


Arguments

serial_number Actual date from which you want to find the month.


Examples

=MONTH(B3)
 formula returns 7 as MONTH number of the date 7/30/2015.

MONTH Example 1

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Tips

  • Excel stores dates as numbers. Excel assumes that the date 1/1/1900 is 1, and increases this number by 1 for each month. For example; 12/31/2018 is equal to 43465. Because of this, avoid using dates as text although the MONTH function can operate with dates that match your local format. Use DATE function to generate Date.
  • Month number of a date can be retrieved using number formatting as well. Use m or mm as Custom Format on the date cell to see the month only. However, the actual value remains same and this will only change the way data is displayed. For more information see Number Formatting in Excel - All You Need to Know