How to Get End of the Month Date in Excel

Get the Last Day of the Month using the EOMONTH Function

EOMONTH is my favorite function for calculating the last day of a month. It is specifically designed for these kinds of calculations. All you have to do is specify a date current date, and the number of months you want to calculate the last date before and after the start date. Here is the syntax:

=EOMONTH(start_date,months)

In this syntax, the start date is the current date, and months represent the number of months forward or backward.

End Date of the Same Month

Let’s say you have the date “06-Feb-2017” and want to get the last day of “Feb”. In this case, the formulas you need to use are:

=EOMONTH("22-Feb-2017",0)

In the above example, when you use EOMONTH, it returns 28-Feb-2017, which is the last date of the February month.

How does it work? Here, you have used “0” for the number argument because the start date you have used is in February, and you won’t have the last day of the same month. When you use “0,” it will simply return the last date for the same month for which you have the start date.

To create a dynamic formula, you can use the TODAY Function in the start_date Argument.

End Date of the Future Month

Now, let’s say, from the same date, you want to get the last day of “Apr”. In this case, the formulas you need to use are:

=EOMONTH("22-Feb-2017",2)

In the above example, the formula returns 30-Apr-2017, which is the last date of April.

How does it work

Here, you have used “2” for the number argument, and the start date you have used is February. Now, if you look, April is exactly two months after February, so that’s why it has returned 30-Apr-2017.

End Date of the Previous Month

And, if you want to get the last date of a previous month, you can use a negative number for that. Let’s say you want the last day of Jan. So, the formula you need to use:

=EOMONTH("22-Feb-2017",-1)

In the above example, the formula returns 31-Jan-2017, which is the last date of the month of January.

This formula finds the last day of the month. In our example, you input “22-Feb-2017,” and by using -1, you tell Excel to go backward for one month. The result will show you the last day of January 2017, which is January 31, 2017.

DATE Function to Get Month’s Last Date

DATE Function is another approach to getting the last day in excel. The date function helps you to create a valid excel date by specifying the year, month, and day. Here is the syntax:

=DATE(year,month,day)

As I mentioned, the date function requires you to enter the year, month, and day, and it returns a valid date according to those. Now, there is a small trick that you can do with the day argument.

If you use 0 as a day, it will return the last date of the previous month. For example, if you specify Year: 2017, Month: 4 (that’s May), and Day: 0, it will return 30-Apr-2017 in the result.

And, if you want to calculate the last day of the current month, the formula will be:

=DATE(CurrentYear,CurrentMonth + 1,0)

Or, if you have a date to refer then the formula will be:

=DATE(YEAR(date),MONTH(date)+1,0)
=DATE(YEAR(A1), MONTH(A1) + 1, 0)

Get Last Day with a UDF

A great VBA Example. This macro code uses a VBA UDF to get the last day of the month. You need to copy it into your VBA editor.

Function LastD(Optional sd As Date = 0) As Date
If sd = 0 Then 
sd = VBA.DateLastD = VBA.DateSerial(VBA.Year(sd), VBA.Month(sd) + 1, 0)
End Function

In your worksheet, type “=LastD(” and insert the date for the month or refer to a cell. And, if you want the last day of the current month then simply left it blank using brackets.

Wrap Up

As I said, the month’s last day can be helpful for you while calculating target dates, due dates, or completion dates. And, now we have three different ways to get it.

If you use EOMONTH then it’s really easy to create a dynamic formula that can help you to date for past or future months and I think it’s the best way to do it. I hope you found it useful and it will help you take your skills to the whole next level.

Now tell me one thing. Which one is your favorite method above all? Or, do you have a different method? Please share with me in the comment box, I would love to hear from you. And don’t forget to share it with your friends.