year - Required. Year value (1900-9999). Use 4 digits for clarity (2025, not 25).
month - Required. Month number (1-12). Values outside range auto-adjust (13=January next year).
day - Required. Day of month (1-31). Auto-adjusts for month overflow (day 0 = last day of previous month).
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Year | Month | Day |
| 2 | 2025 | 1 | 15 |
| 3 | Formula: | =DATE(A2, B2, C2) 1/15/2025 |
Create January 15, 2025
=DATE(2025,1,15) → 1/15/2025
3 months after Jan 2025
=DATE(2025,4,1) → 4/1/2025
Last day of February 2025
=DATE(2025,3,0) → 2/28/2025
Add 6 months to date in A1
Perfect for renewals
Build project deadline dates by adding duration to start date components. The DATE function in Excel automatically handles month and year rollovers - if you add 3 months to October (month 10), Excel correctly calculates January of the next year (month 13 becomes month 1 of year+1). This makes the Excel DATE formula perfect for project management, contract end dates, warranty expiration tracking, and any business process requiring deadline calculations that span across year boundaries without manual adjustments.
| A | B | C | D | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Input | Start Year | Start Month | Duration (mo) | Deadline |
| 2 | Project | 2025 | 1 | 3 | |
| 3 | Formula: | =DATE(A2, B2+C2, 1) 4/1/2025 |
Create last day of any month by using day 0 of the next month - the Excel DATE function auto-adjusts backwards to give the final day of the previous month. This DATE formula technique works for all months automatically, handling varying month lengths (28/29/30/31 days) without IF statements or complex logic. Essential for financial close processes, monthly reporting deadlines, billing cycles, and accounting workflows that need dynamic month-end date generation across different calendar systems.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Month | Year | Month End Date |
| 2 | February | 2025 | |
| 3 | Formula: | =DATE(A2, 2+1, 0) 2/28/2025 |
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=DATE(2025, 1, 15)Always use 4-digit years for clarity and to avoid century ambiguity. The DATE function in Excel accepts 1-4 digit years, but 4 digits eliminate confusion and ensure your formulas work correctly across different Excel versions and regional settings.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=DATE(2025, 1, 15)Use DATE function to create real Excel dates that work in all calculations. Text dates may display correctly but fail in formulas. The Excel DATE formula returns a proper date serial number that Excel recognizes for arithmetic, comparisons, and formatting.
❌ The Problem:
✅ Solution:
=DATE(2025, 3, 0)Understand that DATE auto-adjusts invalid dates. Use day 0 intentionally for month-end dates. The DATE function in Excel is forgiving - it calculates the actual date even with "impossible" inputs, which is powerful when used correctly but can surprise users expecting error messages.
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