EDATE in Excel: Add or Subtract Months from Dates
Returns a date that is a specified number of months before or after a given date.
How to Add or Subtract Months with EDATE in Excel
The EDATE function returns the date that is the indicated number of months before or after a specified start date.
Syntax
=EDATE(start_date, months)
Examples
- Add 6 Months:
=EDATE(A2, 6) - Subtract 1 Year:
=EDATE(A2, -12)
Note: EDATE preserves the exact day of the month. If the resulting month has fewer days (e.g. Feb 30), Excel automatically adjusts to the last day of the month (Feb 28/29).
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.
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