📎 This article includes 2 downloadable practice files ↓
In this article
- Syntax & Parameter Breakdown
- Where You Will Use It
- Practical Worked Examples
- Mistakes People Make & How to Avoid Them
- Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the difference between TODAY and NOW?
- How do you insert a fixed today’s date that will NOT update tomorrow?
- Why does TODAY return a number like 45600?
- TODAY in practice
- Where you will use it
- Worked example
- Mistakes people make
- Continue learning
The TODAY function in Excel is an essential spreadsheet tool designed to Return the current calendar date in your spreadsheet, updating automatically every time the workbook is recalculated or reopened.
Syntax & Parameter Breakdown
=TODAY()| Argument | Requirement & Description |
|---|---|
none |
TODAY takes no arguments. Empty parentheses () are required. |
Where You Will Use It
Powers accounts receivable aging reports, invoice due date trackers, employee age/tenure calculations, and project deadline countdowns.
Practical Worked Examples
Here are common real-world formula scenarios utilizing TODAY:
| Formula | Expected Behavior & Purpose |
|---|---|
=TODAY() |
Outputs today’s date formatted according to system regional settings. |
=TODAY() - Due_Date |
Calculates how many days an overdue invoice is past its payment deadline. |
=DATEDIF(Birth_Date, TODAY(), "Y") |
Calculates an employee’s exact completed years of age as of today. |
Mistakes People Make & How to Avoid Them
TODAY is a volatile function: it recalculates whenever any cell in the workbook changes. Do not use thousands of TODAY formulas if workbook recalculation speed is critical.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between TODAY and NOW?
TODAY returns only the current date (time 00:00:00), while NOW returns both the date and the exact current time.
How do you insert a fixed today’s date that will NOT update tomorrow?
Press Ctrl + ; (semicolon) to stamp a static, unchangeable date into a cell.
Why does TODAY return a number like 45600?
Excel stores dates as serial numbers. Format the cell as ‘Short Date’ (Ctrl + Shift + #) to display it properly.
📚 Master spreadsheet formulas with our Free Excel Course or explore related functions in the Formula Lab.
Test formulas dynamically in our web formula laboratory or download the companion Excel workbook.
TODAY in practice
Where you will use it
- Days overdue as of today
- Age and tenure
- Highlight due dates this week
Worked example
| Example | Formula | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Days left in FY 2026-27 | =DATE(2027,3,31)-TODAY() | (changes every recalculation) |
Results calculated in Excel. TODAY changes daily, so no fixed result is shown.
Mistakes people make
| Mistake | What to do instead |
|---|---|
| Month-end reports that change daily | Use a fixed as-on date cell |
| Needing a fixed date | Ctrl+; enters today's date as a value |
📎 Practice files for this article
⬇ Download all 2 files (ZIP · 37 KB)
- 📗Date scenarios workbookMonth maths, financial-year start, working days with holidays — with PASS/FAIL checks and the 2 most common date mistakes.⬇ XLSX · 8 KB
- 📗Practice workbook: Dates & times22 tasks on realistic sales data — type your formula, the Check column turns green when it is right. Answers sheet included.⬇ XLSX · 34 KB
Free to use for learning. Files with macros (.bas) are plain text — import them with Alt+F11 → File → Import File, and always test on a copy.
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