COUPDAYBS Function in Excel: Days From Last Coupon to Settlement

COUPDAYBS Function in Excel: Days From Last Coupon to Settlement 1
⏱ 1 min readUpdated 5 October 2026

FinanceLevel: ExpertAvailable in: Excel 2007+

In this article
  1. Syntax
  2. Examples
  3. Example 1
  4. COUPDAYBS in practice
  5. Where you will use it
  6. Worked example
  7. Mistakes people make
  8. Related functions

COUPDAYBS counts days from the last coupon date to the settlement date: the accrued-interest days. Used for bond pricing and accrued interest on half-yearly coupons.

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Syntax

=COUPDAYBS(settlement, maturity, frequency, [basis])
Argument What it means
settlement Purchase date
maturity Maturity date
frequency 1, 2 or 4 coupons a year
basis Day count

Examples

Example 1

=COUPDAYBS(A2,B2,2,1)

Result: 5. See the worked example table below for more cases.

COUPDAYBS in practice

Where you will use it

  • Accrued interest when buying a bond between coupons
  • Cash-flow schedules
  • Treasury desk reports

Worked example

SettlementMaturityFormulaResult
05-10-202631-03-2031=COUPDAYBS(A2,B2,2,1)5
10-01-202631-12-2030=COUPDAYBS(A3,B3,2,1)10
15-06-202615-06-2028=COUPDAYBS(A4,B4,2,1)0

Results calculated in Excel.

Mistakes people make

MistakeWhat to do instead
Settlement after maturity#NUM!
Wrong frequencyUse the bond's real coupon frequency

COUPNCD · COUPNUM · ACCRINT

📚 Part of the free Excel course: Beginner → Expert · Try it in the Formula Lab or ask the AI Helper.

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