YEAR Formula — Extract Year from Date in Excel & Sheets (Free Tool)

Returns the year of a date, an integer in the range 1900-9999.

Generated Formula
=YEAR(date)

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Common Errors & Fixes

  • #VALUE! error

    Causes:
    • The input is text that Excel cannot interpret as a date.
    • The cell contains an error value.
    Fixes:
    • Use DATEVALUE() to convert text dates.
    • Ensure the cell contains a valid date, not a string.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is YEAR returning a strange 4-digit number?

Excel stores dates as serial numbers. YEAR correctly converts them. If YEAR returns something like 1905, the cell likely contains a serial number instead of a formatted date.

Can YEAR extract the year from a text date?

Only if the text is recognized as a valid date format by Excel. For text dates, use DATEVALUE() first: =YEAR(DATEVALUE(A1)).

What is the difference between YEAR and YEARFRAC?

YEAR extracts the year portion of a date. YEARFRAC calculates the fraction of a year between two dates, useful for age or tenure calculations.

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