3.10 Date Functions: TODAY, NOW, DATE, DAY/MONTH/YEAR, EOMONTH, EDATE
| Function | Example | Result |
|---|---|---|
TODAY() |
=TODAY() |
today's date (changes daily) |
NOW() |
=NOW() |
date and time (IST on an IST computer) |
DATE(year, month, day) |
=DATE(2026,11,8) |
08-11-2026 |
DAY / MONTH / YEAR |
=MONTH(B2) |
11 |
EOMONTH(start, months) |
=EOMONTH(B2,0) |
30-11-2026 |
EDATE(start, months) |
=EDATE(B2,3) |
02-02-2027 |
TEXT(date,"mmmm") |
=TEXT(B2,"mmmm") |
November |
Useful patterns
| Need | Formula |
|---|---|
| First day of the month | =EOMONTH(B2,-1)+1 |
| Days since order | =TODAY()-B2 |
| Financial year (Apr–Mar) label | ="FY "&IF(MONTH(B2)>=4,YEAR(B2),YEAR(B2)-1)&"-"&RIGHT(IF(MONTH(B2)>=4,YEAR(B2)+1,YEAR(B2)),2) → FY 2026-27 |
| Quarter (calendar) | ="Q"&ROUNDUP(MONTH(B2)/3,0) → Q4 |
Ravindra Bagale's Tip
TODAY and NOW are volatile (they recalculate on every change) – the value changes whenever you open the file. Many students use TODAY for an invoice date, and tomorrow that date changes! If you need a fixed date, type it with Ctrl + ; (date) and Ctrl + Shift + ; (time).
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – मराठी
TODAY आणि NOW volatile आहेत (प्रत्येक बदलावर पुन्हा गणना होणारे) – file उघडली की value बदलते. बरेच students invoice date साठी TODAY वापरतात आणि उद्या ती date बदलते! Fixed date हवी असेल तर Ctrl + ; (date) आणि Ctrl + Shift + ; (time) ने type करा.
Ravindra Bagale's Tip – हिंदी
TODAY और NOW volatile हैं (हर बदलाव पर दोबारा calculate होते हैं) – file खोलते ही value बदल जाती है. बहुत से students invoice date के लिए TODAY लगा देते हैं और कल वह date बदल जाती है! Fixed date चाहिए तो Ctrl + ; (date) और Ctrl + Shift + ; (time) से type करो.
Practice task
For each order compute: month name, month-end date, financial-year label and the date 7 days later (a return deadline).