A business day is one weekday (Monday to Friday) that isn’t a public holiday. In hours, a business day usually means normal office hours, typically 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time, or about 8 hours. As a waiting time, 1 business day is 1 to 3 calendar days, depending on the day you start.
Counting from today: 1 business day after is , excluding United States (federal) holidays. Today: Yes. is a business day for United States (federal).
“Business day” and “working day” mean the same thing; the UK, Canada, Australia and India mostly say “working day”. Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays are not business days. The full definition, with how banks, carriers and courts use the term, is in what is a business day?
How long is 1, 2, 3, 5 or 10 business days?
The day you start (the day you order, apply or are told “in 2 business days”) is day 0. Day 1 is the next business day. This table assumes no public holiday falls in the window. Each cell shows the weekday it ends on and, in brackets, how many calendar days that is. Five business days is always one week; ten is two weeks.
| Business days | From Mon | From Tue | From Wed | From Thu | From Fri | Calendar days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tue (1) | Wed (1) | Thu (1) | Fri (1) | Mon (3) | 1 to 3 |
| 2 | Wed (2) | Thu (2) | Fri (2) | Mon (4) | Tue (4) | 2 to 4 |
| 3 | Thu (3) | Fri (3) | Mon (5) | Tue (5) | Wed (5) | 3 to 5 |
| 5 | Mon (7) | Tue (7) | Wed (7) | Thu (7) | Fri (7) | 7 |
| 10 | Mon (14) | Tue (14) | Wed (14) | Thu (14) | Fri (14) | 14 |
If you start on a Saturday or Sunday, Monday is business day 1. So 1 business day from a Saturday is Monday (2 calendar days), and 5 business days from a weekend is the following Friday. Every public holiday inside the window adds one more calendar day.
Dates from today
These dates skip weekends and US federal holidays and update every day:
- 1 business day after is , excluding United States (federal) holidays.
- 2 business days after is , excluding United States (federal) holidays.
- 3 business days after is , excluding United States (federal) holidays.
- 5 business days after is , excluding United States (federal) holidays.
- 10 business days after is , excluding United States (federal) holidays.
The next holiday that will stretch a count: The next United States (federal) holiday is Veterans Day on , 20 days from today. For any other number, or another country’s holidays, use the business days from today tool or the business days calculator.
How long is 1-2, 1-3, 2-3 or 2-5 business days?
A range takes the shortest wait at the low end (a Monday start) and the longest at the high end (a Thursday or Friday start, across a weekend):
| Range | Calendar days | In weeks |
|---|---|---|
| 1-2 business days | 1 to 4 | Under a week |
| 1-3 business days | 1 to 5 | Under a week |
| 2-3 business days | 2 to 5 | Under a week |
| 2-5 business days | 2 to 7 | Up to one week |
| 3-5 business days | 3 to 7 | Up to one week |
| 5-7 business days | 7 to 11 | 1 to 1.5 weeks |
| 7-10 business days | 9 to 14 | 1.5 to 2 weeks |
More on the most common single number: how long is 5 business days.
How many hours is a business day?
There is no single legal length. In everyday use, a business day means the hours a business is normally open, usually 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. local time, which is about 8 hours. Some offices keep other hours, such as 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and some count 7.5 hours after an unpaid lunch break. When a company says “business hours”, it means its own opening hours in its own time zone.
That matters when the other side is in another time zone. A request sent at 4 p.m. in California reaches a New York office after 7 p.m. local time, so their business day 1 starts the next morning.
A business day is not 24 hours
“Within 1 business day” and “within 24 hours” are different promises:
- 24 hours runs around the clock, weekends included. A message sent at 3 p.m. Friday gets an answer by 3 p.m. Saturday.
- 1 business day skips the weekend. The same Friday message can wait until the end of Monday.
- 24 business hours usually means three 8-hour business days, so about 3 business days.
Most “by the end of the next business day” promises run until the close of business that day, not until a fixed hour.
Banking days and cut-off times
For banks, a business day (often called a banking day) is a day the bank is open for its normal business, so weekends and bank holidays are excluded. Banks also set a daily cut-off time for payments and deposits. Anything that arrives after the cut-off is treated as if it arrived on the next business day. A transfer sent on Friday evening is usually handled on Monday, or on Tuesday if Monday is a bank holiday.
Cut-off times differ between banks and payment types, so check the time on your bank’s website or app. US banks follow the Federal Reserve holiday calendar, which is not exactly the same as the federal one; see US bank holidays.
Business days in shipping
Shipping estimates count business days too, but usually from the day the parcel is handed to the carrier, not the day you order. Orders placed after the shop’s daily cut-off start counting a day later. USPS delivers on Saturdays, so some USPS estimates count Saturday as a day. Read more in what are business days in shipping?
FAQ
How long is one business day?
One weekday that isn’t a holiday. As a wait, it is 1 calendar day from Monday to Thursday and 3 calendar days from Friday, because the weekend is skipped. In hours, a business day is usually about 8 working hours.
How long is 2 business days?
2 to 4 calendar days. From Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday it is 2 days; from Thursday or Friday it crosses the weekend and becomes 4 days.
How long is 3 business days?
3 to 5 calendar days. Starting on Monday or Tuesday it is 3 days; starting on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday it is 5 days.
Is Saturday a business day?
Usually not. Business days are Monday to Friday. A few services, such as USPS delivery and some bank branches, work on Saturdays, but most deadlines skip it. See is Saturday a business day?
Does a business day end at 5 p.m.?
Often, but not always. “Close of business” usually means the end of normal office hours where the business is, commonly 5 p.m. local time. Banks and shops may use an earlier cut-off for same-day processing, so check the exact time when it matters.
Is a business day the same as a calendar day?
No. Calendar days include weekends and holidays; business days don’t. The difference is explained in calendar days vs business days.