The Excel EDATE function returns date on the same day of the month, n months in the past or future. You can use EDATE to calculate expiration dates, maturity dates, and other due dates. Use a positive value for months to get a date in the future, and a negative value for dates in the past.
- Purpose: Shift date n months in the future or past
- Return value: New date as Excel serial number
Syntax
=EDATE (start_date, months)
Arguments
- start_date - Start date as a valid Excel date.
- months - Number of months before or after start_date.
Example:
If A1 contains the date February 1, 2018, you can use EDATE like this:
=EDATE(A1,1) // returns March 1, 2018
=EDATE(A1,3) // returns May 1, 2018
=EDATE(A1,-1) // returns January 1, 2018
=EDATE(A1,-2) // returns December 1, 2017