Syntax
=EDATE(start_date, months)
start_date- The date to start from.
months- How many months to move. Negative numbers go back in time.
EDATE function in Google Sheets
EDATE returns the date a given number of months before or after a start date, on the same day of the month. Use it for renewal dates, probation ends, subscription cycles and anything else measured in months, where adding 30 days would drift.
Practice EDATE
Task 1 of 1
Each subscription runs for the number of months in column B. Return the first one's end date in C2.
Tip: while typing a formula, click a cell or drag across cells to insert references. Press Enter to check, and Tab to accept a function suggestion.
EDATE examples
Each example below runs against this sample sheet. The results are calculated by the same engine as the practice grid.
| A | B | C | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Name | Birthdate | Hire date | Review |
| 2 | Maya | 4/12/1988 | 9/2/2019 | 3/31/2026 |
| 3 | Leo | 11/30/1995 | 1/31/2022 | 6/15/2026 |
| 4 | Ava | 2/28/2001 | 7/14/2025 | 1/31/2026 |
| Formula | Result | What it shows |
|---|---|---|
=EDATE(C2, 6) | 3/2/2020 | Six months after Maya was hired. |
=EDATE(C3, 1) | 2/28/2022 | One month after January 31 is February 28: EDATE stops at the month's last day. |
=EDATE(D2, -12) | 3/31/2025 | One year before Maya's review. |
=EDATE(C4, 3)-1 | 10/13/2025 | The last day of a 3-month probation period. |
Tips and common mistakes
- EDATE returns a number. Format the cell as a date to see it as one.
- For the end of a month rather than the same day, use EOMONTH.
- months is truncated to a whole number, so EDATE(A2, 1.9) moves one month.
Related functions
Learning step by step? EDATE is covered in Lesson 41: EDATE & EOMONTH of the free course.