Function Reference: EDATE
| Syntax | ||
| =EDATE(start_date,months) | ||
| Purpose / Description | ||
| Returns the equivalent date a given number of months into the past or the future from a starting date. | ||
| Arguments | ||
| Name | Type | Description |
| start_date | number | A constant, reference to a one-cell range or a nested expression which provides the serial date number - starting date - from which the calculation is made. |
| months | number | A constant, reference to a one-cell range or a nested expression which provides the number of months back or forward in time from the start_date. If 0 is provided, it returns start_date. |
| Return Values | ||
| Type | Specific Value | Description |
| number | A serial date number representing the same day of the month months before or after start_date. If the target month ends on an earlier day of the month, it is adjusted forward so that it is not a date in a following month. | |
| error | #VALUE! | If either start_date or months is not a number and cannot be coerced to number. |
| error | #VALUE! | If either start_date or months is a multi-cell reference. |
| error | #NUM! | If the number passed in start_date or the result of the function is outside the range allowed 1900 date system: 0 to 2,958,465 1904 date system: 0 to 2,957,003 |
| error | Any errors referenced by arguments are returned due to propagation of error values. | |
| Notes / Comments / Advice / Warnings | ||
| Note: | This function does not accept multi-cell reference. If a multi-cell reference is given, the result is the #VALUE! error. | |
| Advice: | It is possible to use the EDATE function with a multi-cell range if a nested array expression is used, since the array handling will call the function once for each value in the array, see the example file for a demonstration. If nested arrays are used, normal array evaluation rules apply, and the array expression may return #N/A values, which will then be returned by EDATE due to the propagation or error rule. | |
| Examples: | Open / download sample workbook: EDATE.xlsx | |