TODAY - Use the current date in a report
Calculate calendar-day deadlines and overdue ages with a date that updates on recalculation, not a permanent timestamp.
By the end, you can
- Use TODAY without arguments.
- Calculate calendar-day differences.
- Distinguish a recalculated date from a recorded event date.
Before you start: Understand arithmetic and numeric versus text values. DATE constructs an unambiguous date.
In this lesson
A report date that can change
TODAY returns the workbook's current date when Excel calculates. An accounts team can compare invoice deadlines with the reporting date, or an administrator can calculate days remaining before a review. It does not include a time fraction; use NOW when time of day matters.
Syntax: no arguments
=TODAY()The empty parentheses are required; do not put a date or number between them. Format the numeric date value as dd-mmm-yyyy.
- TODAY takes no arguments.
- In the usual 1900 date system, 08-Oct-2026 is serial 46303. Formatting changes how that number is shown, not the date calculation.
Calendar days overdue
3| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Work item | Due date | Days overdue |
| 2 | Invoice review | 05-Oct-2026 | 3 |
| 3 | Safety review | 08-Oct-2026 | 0 |
| 4 | Stock count | 12-Oct-2026 | 0 |
=MAX(0,TODAY()-B2)08-Oct minus 05-Oct is three calendar days. MAX prevents future deadlines from showing negative overdue days.
- Store each deadline as an Excel date value.
- Subtract the deadline from TODAY to obtain a calendar-day difference.
- Use the zero floor only because this report defines future deadlines as not overdue.
- Format column C as Number, not Date; check the due-today and future rows.
Advance a date or measure time remaining
=TODAY()+7Add seven serial days, including weekends and holidays. This is not a seven-workday deadline.
=B4-TODAY()12-Oct minus 08-Oct leaves four calendar days.
For a deadline measured in working days, use WORKDAY with the relevant holiday list. For completed years of service, use an appropriate anniversary calculation such as DATEDIF rather than dividing a day difference by 365.
Date serials and recalculation
- Dates are serial numbers. In the 1900 system, 01-Jan-1900 is serial 1; Excel retains a historical fictitious 29-Feb-1900 for compatibility. The examples use modern dates.
- Workbooks can use the 1904 date system; its serials differ by 1,462 days. Check date-system settings before moving raw serials between files.
- TODAY is volatile: it refreshes when Excel recalculates, not continuously while a worksheet sits idle. Manual calculation settings can leave an older result visible.
- It is available in older and current Excel. Date formatting does not convert imported text into a valid date.
Common mistakes and practical tips
The workspace implements TODAY, but the existing catalog has no matching date challenge. No Practice task is presented as a substitute for these deadline examples.
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