Date Difference Calculator
Count the exact years, months and days between two dates — or add and subtract from any date to find a deadline.
- Free — no sign-up
- Instant, on-screen results
- Built by our CA · CS team
- Rules cited on the page
Enter your figures — the result on the right updates as you type.
The same span, counted every way
| Unit | Value |
|---|
Counting to a filing or appeal deadline?
Limitation periods, condonation of delay and the consequences of a missed date are rarely as simple as the day count. Get it checked before the window closes.
Disclaimer: Working days here mean Monday to Friday and take no account of gazetted holidays, state holidays or bank holidays. Statutory time limits are counted according to the specific statute and the General Clauses Act, 1897 — this tool counts calendar days and does not compute limitation. Verify a legal deadline against the governing provision.
How the difference is counted
There are two honest answers to "how many days between these dates", and they differ by one. Elapsed days counts the nights in between — 1 April to 30 April is 29 days. Both days inclusive counts each calendar date you touch — the same span is 30 days. Indian statutes almost always use the first: s.9 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 directs that where a period is reckoned "from" a date, that first day is excluded and the last day is included. So a 30-day appeal window from an order dated 1 April closes on 1 May, not 30 April. The years-months-days figure is separate again: it counts whole calendar months, which is why "3 months" from 31 December lands on 31 March but "90 days" lands on 31 March in a leap year and 1 April otherwise.
Deadlines counted in days
The most-counted statutory periods in Indian tax and company law, and what the clock runs from.
| Obligation | Period | Runs from |
|---|---|---|
| TDS deposit — non-government deductor | 7 days | End of the month of deduction (30 April for March) |
| TDS return, Form 24Q / 26Q | 31 days | End of the quarter |
| Appeal to CIT(A), Form 35 — s.249(2) | 30 days | Service of the notice of demand or the order |
| Appeal to ITAT — s.253(3) | 60 days | Date the order is communicated |
| GST appeal to Appellate Authority — s.107(1) | 3 months | Communication of the order (1 month condonable) |
| GST refund application — s.54 | 2 years | The relevant date for that refund category |
| Payment to a micro or small supplier — s.15 MSMED Act | 45 days | Day of acceptance or deemed acceptance of goods |
| Form INC-20A, commencement of business | 180 days | Date of incorporation |
| Form CHG-1, registration of a charge | 30 days | Date the charge was created |
| Form ADT-1, auditor appointment | 15 days | Date of the AGM |
| Form AOC-4 / MGT-7, annual filings | 30 / 60 days | Date of the AGM |
Worked example
An assessment order is served on 10 March 2026 and you want the last date to file an appeal to CIT(A).
Traps in date counting
"Months" are not 30 days
Under s.3(35) of the General Clauses Act a month means a calendar month. Three months from 30 November is 28 February, not 28 or 29 days later. Statutes that mean 90 days say 90 days.
"Clear days" excludes both ends
Where a provision needs "not less than 21 clear days' notice" — as s.101 of the Companies Act does for a general meeting — you exclude both the day of service and the day of the meeting, and add the deemed service period for post.
Date of order vs date of communication
Most limitation periods run from when the order is communicated or served, not the date typed on it. Keep the envelope, the email or the portal download timestamp — that is the evidence of when the clock started.
The 45-day MSME clock is unforgiving
Under s.43B(h) of the Income-tax Act, a payment to a registered micro or small enterprise beyond the MSMED time limit is only deductible in the year paid. Fifteen days without a written agreement, 45 days with one.
How the Date Difference Calculator works
4 steps, start to finish — the same order the tool follows.
- 01Pick "difference between two dates" or "add / subtract from a date".
- 02Enter the dates, or the start date and the period to move.
- 03Choose whether the end date should be counted.
- 04Read the exact span, the working days and the resulting date with its weekday.
Questions people ask
Short answers on Date Difference Calculator. Tap a question to open it.
01How do I calculate the number of days between two dates?
Elapsed days count the nights in between, so 1 April to 30 April is 29 days. Counting both days inclusive gives 30. Indian statutes normally use elapsed days, because s.9 of the General Clauses Act, 1897 excludes the first day and includes the last.
02How are statutory deadlines counted in India?
Where a period runs "from" a date, that day is excluded and the last day is included. So a 30-day appeal window from an order served on 10 March closes on 9 April. If the last day is a holiday and the office is closed, s.4 of the Limitation Act, 1963 allows the act on the next working day for proceedings before a court or authority.
03Does a "month" mean 30 days?
No. Under s.3(35) of the General Clauses Act a month means a calendar month, so three months from 30 November is 28 February. Where a statute means a fixed number of days it says so — the 45-day MSME payment limit and the 180-day INC-20A limit are day counts, not months.
04Are holidays excluded from the working-days count?
Only Saturdays and Sundays are excluded here. Gazetted, state and bank holidays vary by location and are not deducted, so treat the working-days figure as an upper bound when planning around a filing or a court date.
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Disclaimer: This tool gives indicative results for general guidance only and is not professional advice. Please verify with a qualified CA before acting on the numbers.