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✍️ Excel date & time examples

TODAY and NOW Examples in Excel

Learn practical today and now examples in excel for deadlines, schedules, reporting periods and date calculations.

Updated 2026-06-125 practical examplesCopy-ready

What it does

TODAY returns the current date. NOW returns the current date and time.

Syntax or pattern

=TODAY() / =NOW()
✅

5 practical examples

1

Show today’s date

Display the current date.

=TODAY()

Updates when the workbook recalculates.

2

Calculate days overdue

Compare a due date to today.

=TODAY()-A2

Positive values mean days since the date.

3

Flag overdue tasks

Mark items past due.

=IF(A2<TODAY(),"Overdue","OK")

Useful for task trackers.

4

Timestamp report refresh

Show current date and time.

=NOW()

NOW includes time.

5

Age from birth date

Estimate age in years.

=DATEDIF(A2,TODAY(),"Y")

DATEDIF gives whole years.

Common mistakes to avoid

  • Check whether dates are real Excel dates, not text.
  • Be careful with weekends, holidays and time portions.
  • Explain whether a result counts calendar days or workdays.

Related Excel examples

DATE Function Examples in ExcelEOMONTH Examples in ExcelEDATE Examples in Excel📊 All Excel examples

FAQ

Why does the date formula return a number?

Excel stores dates as serial numbers. Format the cell as a date to display it correctly.

💡 Useful resources

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