Date Functions
Intermediate

DATEDIF in whole months

The "M" unit counts completed months.

Task:

Probation ends after 6 complete months. In C2:C6 give each employee's completed months of service on the review date in E1.

Interactive Spreadsheet

Read about DATEDIF

Hints

+5 XPno-hints bonus

Solve it on your own to keep the bonus. Each hint gets one step closer to the formula.

Variations of DATEDIF

0/3

The same formula in the other shapes it takes at work.

  1. DATEDIF Function

    Calculate the difference between two dates using DATEDIF.

    Core
    Advanced
  2. DATEDIF in whole months

    The "M" unit counts completed months.

    Intermediate
  3. Length of service in years and months

    "Y" for the whole years, "YM" for the months left over.

    Advanced

The data in this exercise

This is the grid you start with. Cell references in the task — B6, C2 — point at the row numbers and column letters below.

6 rows × 5 columns5 cells you fill in
ABCDE
1EmployeeStart dateMonthsReview date6/30/2024
2Lina1/15/2024
3Marc12/31/2023
4Nora2/29/2024
5Otto6/1/2024
6Pia11/30/2023
What this exercise teachesMay contain the answer

Dividing the days by 30 gives fractions and drifts with month lengths. "M" counts only months that have fully passed, which is how probation and notice periods are actually written.