Working with dates in Excel can be a bit challenging at times, because Excel doesn't use dates as we conceive it. Knowing how Excel handles dates, you will find it pretty easy to use them in calculations and reports.
Syntax
=date + days
Steps
- Select or type in the range reference that includes the date value (i.e. B3)
- Add + (plus sign)
- Select or type in the range reference that includes the days count to be added (i.e. C3)
- Press Enter to complete the formula
How
Dates are just numbers to Excel. Excel assumes the history starts from Jan 1st, 1900 and considers this date to be 1. According to this assumption, every day is equal to 1. As a result, 1/1/2018 is equal to 43101. This assumption Excel makes to add days into dates is extremely easy, all you need to do is to add a mathematical operation.
=B3+C3
As in any mathematical operation, adding a negative number to a date will return a previous date similar to a subtraction. For example, 11/11/2022 is equal to 44876. Adding -30 to 11/11/2022 returns 10/12/2022 (44846).
="11/11/2022"+(-30)
