Syntax
=YEAR(date)
date- The date to read: a cell with a date, a DATE formula, or date-like text.
YEAR function in Google Sheets
YEAR returns the four-digit year of a date. It's the usual first step for yearly reports, such as counting or summing everything that happened in 2026.
Practice YEAR
Task 1 of 1
Which year was the first order placed? Answer 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.
YEAR 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 | Task | Start | Due | Holidays |
| 2 | Kickoff | 1/5/2026 | 1/9/2026 | 1/19/2026 |
| 3 | Design | 1/12/2026 | 2/13/2026 | 2/16/2026 |
| 4 | Build | 2/16/2026 | 4/30/2026 | 5/25/2026 |
| 5 | Launch | 5/4/2026 | 5/29/2026 |
| Formula | Result | What it shows | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
=YEAR(B2) | 2026 | The year the Kickoff started. | ||||
=YEAR(TODAY()) | The current year | The current year. | ||||
=ARRAYFORMULA(YEAR(C2:C5)) |
| The year of every due date at once. | ||||
=COUNTIFS(C2:C5, ">="&DATE(2026,1,1), C2:C5, "<"&DATE(2027,1,1)) | 4 | Tasks due in 2026. | ||||
=YEAR("2026-03-15") | 2026 | Date-like text is converted first. |
Tips and common mistakes
- YEAR returns a plain number, so don't give it a date format or it will show as a date in 1905.
- To group by year inside a formula over a whole column, use ARRAYFORMULA(YEAR(B2:B)).
Related functions
Learning step by step? YEAR is covered in Lesson 39: Dates: DATE, YEAR, MONTH, DAY & WEEKDAY of the free course.