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YEARFRAC function in Google Sheets

Returns the number of years, including fractional years, between two dates using a specified day count convention.

=YEARFRAC(start_date, end_date, [day_count_convention])

YEARFRAC syntax and parameters

Three arguments, two required.

  • start_dateanyRequired

    The start date to consider in the calculation. Must be a reference to a cell containing a date, a function returning a date type, or a number.

  • end_dateanyRequired

    The end date to consider in the calculation. Must be a reference to a cell containing a date, a function returning a date type, or a number.

  • day_count_conventionnumberOptional

    [ OPTIONAL - 0 by default ] - An indicator of what day count method to use. 0 indicates US (NASD) 30/360 - This assumes 30 day months and 360 day years as per the National Association of Securities Dealers standard, and performs specific adjustments to entered dates which fall at the end of months. 1 indicates Actual/Actual - This calculates based upon the actual number of days between the specified dates, and the actual number of days in the intervening years. Used for US Treasury Bonds and Bills, but also the most relevant for non-financial use. 2 indicates Actual/360 - This calculates based on the actual number of days between the specified dates, but assumes a 360 day year. 3 indicates Actual/365 - This calculates based on the actual number of days between the specified dates, but assumes a 365 day year. 4 indicates European 30/360 - Similar to 0, this calculates based on a 30 day month and 360 day year, but adjusts end-of-month dates according to European financial conventions.

YEARFRAC examples

Formulas you'll actually reuse.

  1. The fraction of a year between two dates on the default 30/360 basis:

    =YEARFRAC(DATE(2026, 1, 15), DATE(2026, 9, 3))

    Result0.6333

  2. The same on an actual/actual basis (1) — 231 real days over 365:

    =YEARFRAC(DATE(2026, 1, 15), DATE(2026, 9, 3), 1)

    Result0.6329

YEARFRAC in Excel

Same name — your formula ports as-is.

Try YEARFRAC in the playground

Edit the example — nothing to install.

Preloaded with the YEARFRAC formula from Example 1 — change anything and watch it respond.

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YEARFRAC errors

What they mean — and the fixes.

  • #NUM!

    The basis isn't 0–4.

Related functions

More ways Google Sheets gets this done.