How Many Days Till December 20 Without Weekends

If you're counting only the weekdays — the days you can actually book a meeting or ship a package — here's the short answer.

From today, October 31, 2024, there are 38 business days between now and December 20, 2024.

That's roughly seven and a half working weeks. Sound like a lot? It adds up faster than people expect, especially once you factor in how weekends quietly eat away at your timeline without you noticing.

But the real answer to "how many days till December 20 without weekends" depends entirely on which day you're starting from. That's exactly what this article is going to help you figure out — not just the number for one specific date, but how to calculate it for any starting point, any target date, and any schedule that matters to you.

What Does "Without Weekends" Actually Mean?

Let's be clear about terminology, because it trips people up more than you'd think.

"Without weekends" means you're counting only business days — also called working days or weekdays. This leads to that means Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Saturday and Sunday are excluded entirely.

This is different from just subtracting a rough estimate. If you take the total calendar days between two dates and divide by seven, you'll get the number of full weeks — but you'll miss the nuance of where those weeks start and end. A 50-day span that begins on a Thursday is not the same as one that begins on a Saturday, even if both spans contain the same number of calendar days. The weekday count shifts depending on the starting day of the week.

So when you ask "how many days till December 20 without weekends," you're really asking for something more specific than a simple division. You need a method that respects the structure of the week.

Why This Calculation Matters More Than People Realize

Here's where most people underestimate the impact. When you plan around calendar days, you build in weekend time as "bonus" buffer whether you intend to or not. When you plan around business days, you're working with a leaner, more honest timeline.

This distinction shows up in a lot of real-world situations:

Project management and deadlines. If a client asks for something "within two weeks," and you count calendar days, you might deliver in 14 days total — but half of those days are Saturday and Sunday. If they meant two working weeks, you've actually delivered in 10 business days, four days ahead of schedule, and possibly before they're ready to review it.

Shipping and delivery estimates. E-commerce sites often list delivery times in business days for a reason. A "5-day delivery" from a Friday cutoff doesn't mean the package arrives by Wednesday — it means by the following Thursday, once you account for the weekend sitting in the middle.

Leave and PTO planning. If you're taking a week off, calendar days tell you how long you're away from the office. Business days tell you how many vacation days you're actually burning. Those two numbers are almost never the same.

Legal and financial deadlines. Many contractual deadlines, filing requirements, and notice periods are specified in business days specifically to account for the fact that weekends exist and matter.

In short: once you start thinking in business days, you stop overpromising and start planning more accurately.

How to Calculate Business Days Until Any Date

Here's the step-by-step process. Once you understand the logic, you can apply it to any date range.

Step 1: Find Your Total Calendar Days

Start by calculating the raw number of days between your start date and your target date. December 20 is a fixed point each year. Your starting point is today — or whatever date you're planning from.

You can count these manually on a calendar, or use a quick formula:

Days in full months + days in partial months + 1 (to include the end date in the count)

As an example, from October 31 to December 20: November has 30 days, and December adds 20 days, giving you 50 calendar days total.

Step 2: Identify How Many Full Weeks Are in That Span

Divide the total calendar days by 7. That tells you how many complete weeks fit inside the span.

50 ÷ 7 = 7 full weeks, with 1 day remaining.

Each full week contains 5 business days and 2 weekend days. So 7 full weeks = 35 business days and 14 weekend days.

Step 3: Account for the Partial Week

The "1 day remaining" from the division in Step 2 falls on a Friday — which is a weekday. That adds 1 more business day to the count.

So from October 31, 2024 to December 20, 2024: 35 + 1 = 36 business days from the weekly breakdown.

But wait — this calculation so far assumes we're counting starting* from October 31. We also need to count the weekdays in that first partial week.

Continue exploring with our guides on how many days until 1st march and how many days until june 28.

Continue exploring with our guides on how many days until 1st march and how many days until june 28.

Step 4: Count Weekdays in the Starting Partial Week

October 31, 2024 is a Thursday. So the first partial week looks like this:

• Thursday, October 31 = weekday
• Friday, November 1 = weekday

That's 2 business days before we hit the first Saturday.

Add those 2 days to the 36 from Step 3: 38 business days total.

This method works for any date range. The key is always accounting for the partial week at the beginning — the one that may not start on a Monday.

Quick Reference Table

For context, here are rough business-day equivalents for different total calendar spans starting on a Thursday

Quick Reference Table

These figures assume a standard Monday‑Friday workweek with no public holidays falling within the period. Adjust the numbers when holidays are present (see below).*

Adjusting for Public Holidays

Public holidays can shave a day (or more) off your business‑day count. To incorporate them:

1. List the holidays that fall between your start and end dates.
   Use a reliable source – a government website, an HR calendar, or a dedicated holiday API.*
2. Subtract each holiday that lands on a weekday.

Example

Suppose you’re counting business days from October 31 2024 (Thursday) to December 20 2024 (Friday).

• The U.S. public holidays in that window are Veterans Day (Nov 11) and **Thanks

The U.S. public holidays that fall within that 50‑day window are:

• Veterans Day – Monday, Nov 11
• Thanksgiving Day – Thursday, Nov 28

Both land on weekdays, so each one removes a business day from the total.

Starting from the 38 business days we derived above (35 from the seven full weeks + 1 extra Friday + 2 days in the first partial week), we simply subtract the two holidays:

[ 38\ \text{business days} ;-; 2\ \text{holidays} ;=; \boxed{36\ \text{business days}} ]

Thus, between October 31 2024 and December 20 2024 there are 36 working days if U.S. federal holidays are excluded.

Adjusting for Other Jurisdictions

If you’re counting business days for a company based in another country, list the relevant statutory holidays for that locale. For example:

Subtract each weekday holiday just as you would for Veterans Day and Thanksgiving. , when a holiday falls on a weekend, a “substitute” weekday is often designated). Remember that some holidays may be observed on a different day (e.Day to day, g. Always verify the exact observed date with an official calendar.

Half‑Day and Floating Holidays

Some jurisdictions grant half‑day holidays (e.That's why g. , Christmas Eve) or floating holidays that employees can take at their discretion.

1. Count the full‑day holidays as above.
2. For each half‑day holiday, subtract 0.5 from your total.
3. For floating holidays, treat them as regular “business days” unless you know they will not be used during the period.

Using Tools to Verify Your Count

While the manual method above gives you a clear understanding of the math, it’s easy to make a mistake with larger ranges or many holidays. Consider leveraging:

• Spreadsheet formulas – NETWORKDAYS(start, end, [holidays]) in Excel or Google Sheets automatically excludes weekends and a supplied holiday list.