Microsoft Excel is a powerful tool that offers a variety of functionalities to help you manipulate, analyze and visualize data. In this blog post, we will explore how to calculate years in Excel. This might come in handy when you need to calculate age or duration in years between two specific dates.
DATEDIF Function
The most straightforward way to calculate years between dates in Excel is by using the DATEDIF function. This function calculates the difference between two dates and returns the result in various units such as days, months, or years.
The syntax of the DATEDIF function is: =DATEDIF(start_date, end_date, unit)
Here’s how you can use this function to calculate years:
Assume you have two dates: A1 contains the start date (01/01/2000) and B1 contains the end date (01/01/2022)
=DATEDIF(A1, B1, "y")
In the above code, “y” represents years. When you enter this formula, it returns the difference between the two dates in years.
YEARFRAC Function
Another way to calculate years between dates in Excel is by using the YEARFRAC function. This function calculates and returns the fraction of the year represented by the number of whole days between two dates.
The syntax of the YEARFRAC function is: =YEARFRAC(start_date, end_date, [basis])
Here’s how you can use this function to calculate years:
=YEARFRAC(A1, B1, 1)
In this code, A1 and B1 are the start and end dates respectively, while 1 represents the basis (actual/actual count). It returns the fraction of the year between the two dates in years.
Conclusion
Calculating years in Excel can be done with ease using either the DATEDIF or YEARFRAC functions. These powerful functions provide a straightforward way to calculate age or duration in years between two specific dates. Understanding how to use these functions can greatly enhance your data analysis and calculations within Excel.