Excel Trick: Calculate 90 Days from Any Date Easily

Are you an Excel enthusiast looking to streamline your date calculations? Microsoft Excel is renowned for its versatility, providing a powerful platform for those who work extensively with dates, finances, and schedules. One common task that can be simplified is calculating the date 90 days from any given date. This guide will walk you through how to calculate 90 days from any date easily using Excel's straightforward yet powerful formulas.

Why Calculate 90 Days from a Date?

Calculating dates, particularly 90 days from a given date, is useful in various scenarios:

• Invoicing: To determine when payments are due after a standard 90-day credit period.
• Warranty Expiry: Knowing when the warranty period of a product ends can be critical for returns and claims.
• Project Management: Setting milestones or deadlines that are 3 months (90 days) ahead.
• Lease Expiry: Tracking the end of short-term leases or rental agreements.

Setting Up Your Worksheet

Here are the steps to prepare your Excel worksheet for the date calculation:

1. Open Microsoft Excel and create a new workbook.
2. In cell A1, type “Starting Date”.
3. In cell B1, type “90 Days Later”.
4. Enter a date in cell A2. For demonstration, let’s use January 1, 2023.

Formula for Calculating 90 Days from Any Date

The formula you’ll use to calculate 90 days from any date in Excel is:

=A2 + 90

This formula adds 90 days to the date in cell A2, giving you the date exactly 90 days later in the cell where you input the formula, let’s say B2:

Here’s how to do it:

1. In cell B2, enter the formula above.
2. Press Enter, and Excel will display March 31, 2023, in cell B2.

⚠️ Note: If you see a numeric value instead of a date, check your cell format. Right-click the cell, select "Format Cells", choose "Date", and confirm the correct date style is applied.

Customizing the Date Format

Excel allows you to customize how dates are displayed:

• Select the cell with the date you want to format.
• Right-click and choose “Format Cells”.
• Under “Number” tab, select “Date” to choose from various date formats like “01/01/2023” or “January 1, 2023”.

Automating the Calculation

If you frequently work with dates and need to calculate 90 days from many different dates, here’s how to automate this process:

1. Create a named range for cell A2 called “StartDate”.
2. Go to “Formulas” tab, then “Define Name” in Excel.
3. Type “StartDate” in the Name box and select A2 in the Refers to box, then click “OK”.
4. In cell B2, enter the formula:

=StartDate + 90

5. Now, any time you change the date in cell A2, the date in B2 will automatically update to reflect 90 days later.

Handling Different Time Zones

While Excel doesn’t have built-in functions for time zones, you can still manage date calculations across different zones:

• If you are dealing with dates across time zones, consider the difference in days between the time zones.
• Adjust the date manually or use helper columns to add or subtract the necessary time zone offset.

Final Thoughts

Calculating the date 90 days from any date in Excel is not only simple but also offers numerous applications in business, project planning, and personal life management. By understanding how to use Excel’s date functions, you can quickly and accurately determine future dates, which helps in staying organized and efficient. Remember to ensure that your cell formatting is correct to get the most out of these date calculations. With these tips and tricks, you can handle various time-related tasks with ease in Microsoft Excel.

What if my date is formatted as text?

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If the date in your Excel worksheet is formatted as text, the calculation will not work as expected. Convert the text to a date format by using the DATEVALUE() function or by manually changing the cell format to “Date”.

Can I calculate 90 days forward from a date in the past?

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Yes, the formula works for any date, whether it’s past, present, or future. Just input the date in question and apply the formula.

How do I subtract 90 days from a date?

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To subtract 90 days from any date, use the formula =A2 - 90 if the date is in cell A2.