Days until calculator

How the days until calculator works

The calculator counts the number of days from today (or any start date you choose) to your chosen date. It doesn't count the target day itself, so on Christmas Eve there is 1 day until Christmas. That's the same way most people count down, and it matches the number of "sleeps" children ask about.

• Days: the number of midnights between the start date and the target date.
• Weeks and days: the days divided by 7, with the remainder shown as days.
• Working days: Monday to Friday from the start date up to the day before the target date, with England and Wales bank holidays taken off if the box is ticked. The start date is counted, so if today is a weekday it's included.
• Weekends: the number of Saturdays in that period.
• Live countdown: the exact time left until midnight at the start of the target day, using your device's clock. It ticks down every second and ignores the start date box.

The presets always pick the next date on or after your start date. Christmas Day is 25 December, New Year's Day is 1 January, and Easter Sunday is worked out with the standard church calendar formula. The next bank holiday preset uses the England and Wales list from GOV.UK.

Key dates for 2026 and 2027

Worked examples

How many days until Christmas from 26 October 2026?

From Monday 26 October to Friday 25 December 2026 is 60 days, which is 8 weeks and 4 days. There are 44 weekdays in that time and no bank holidays, so 44 working days. There are 8 Saturdays, so 8 weekends left to do your Christmas shopping.

How many days until New Year?

From 26 October 2026 to New Year's Day on Friday 1 January 2027 is 67 days (9 weeks and 4 days). That includes 49 weekdays, but Christmas Day and the Boxing Day substitute on 28 December are bank holidays, leaving 47 working days.

How many days until Easter 2027?

Easter Sunday 2027 is on 28 March, which is 153 days from 26 October 2026. If you're counting down to the four-day Easter weekend, Good Friday on 26 March is 151 days away.

Why the number can seem one out

If you count both today and the target day, you'll get one more than this calculator. For example, Monday to Friday of the same week is 4 days here, but 5 days if you count both ends. For holidays and notice periods where you need to include both days, use the date calculator and tick "include the end date". The live countdown can also show one day fewer than the day count late in the evening, because it counts the hours that are actually left.

Tips

• Change the "counting from" date to see how many days there will be from a future date, such as how long from payday to Christmas.
• Scotland and Northern Ireland have some different bank holidays, such as 2 January and St Andrew's Day in Scotland, and St Patrick's Day in Northern Ireland. Untick the bank holiday box if you'd rather count weekdays only.
• For working days between two dates of your choice, try the working days calculator. To work out what time it will be somewhere else on the big day, use the time zone calculator.

Last reviewed October 2026 using 2026/27 figures. This calculator gives an estimate for guidance only.