EDATE Formula Generator (2026) — Add or Subtract Months | Free Excel & Sheets

Returns a date that is a specified number of months before or after a given date.

Generated Formula
=EDATE(start_date, 1)

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Common Errors & Fixes

  • #VALUE! error with EDATE

    Causes:
    • Start date is not a valid date (text instead of a date value).
    • Months argument is not a number.
    Fixes:
    • Use DATEVALUE() to convert text dates, or ensure the cell contains a proper date.
    • Make sure the months argument is a number, not text.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does EDATE do?

EDATE returns a date that is a specified number of months before or after a given date. For example, EDATE("2026-01-15", 3) returns April 15, 2026.

Can EDATE handle negative months?

Yes. Use a negative number for the months argument to go back in time. For example, EDATE(A1, -6) gives the date 6 months before A1.

Does EDATE handle month-end dates correctly?

Yes. If the start date is Jan 31 and you add 1 month, EDATE returns Feb 28 (or 29 in leap years) — the last day of the month.

Related Formulas

DATEDIFNOWTODAYNETWORKDAYSYEAR

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