Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. If you are using an earlier version (Excel 2003 or earlier), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for earlier versions of Excel, click here: Date for Next Wednesday.

Date for Next Wednesday

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated August 10, 2024)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365

2

Sam has a date in cell A1 and he would like to calculate the date of the following Wednesday in cell B1. He wonders what formula he should use for the calculation.

There are actually many formulas you can use, and the one you pick is pretty much up to you. Here is a good representative sampling of formulas you can use:

=IF(WEEKDAY(A1)<=4,A1+4-WEEKDAY(A1),A1+11-WEEKDAY(A1))
=A1+WEEKDAY(A1, 1)+CHOOSE(WEEKDAY(A1, 1), 2, 0, -2, -4, 1, -1, -3)
=A1+CHOOSE(WEEKDAY(A1),3,2,1,0,6,5,4)
=A1-MOD(WEEKDAY(A1)-5,7)+6
=A1+MOD(4-WEEKDAY(A1),7)
=CEILING(A1-4,7)+4
=A1+6-MOD(A1+2,7)

These formulas return a date that represents next Wednesday, provided that the date in cell A1 isn't a Wednesday to begin with. For instance, if the date in A1 is 8/7/24 (a Wednesday), then each of these will return 8/7/24. However, if the date in A1 is 8/8/24 (a Thursday) then the formula returns 8/14/24.

If you want a formula that will return the next Wednesday even when the starting date is a Wednesday, then you should rely on a different formula. Choose from one of these:

=A1+IF(WEEKDAY(A1,1)=4,7,IF(WEEKDAY(A1,1)<4,4-WEEKDAY(A1,1),11-WEEKDAY(A1,1)))
=IF(WEEKDAY(A1)<4,A1+4-WEEKDAY(A1),A1+11-WEEKDAY(A1))
=IF(WEEKDAY(A1)=4,A1+7,A1+MOD(4-WEEKDAY(A1),7))
=A1+MOD(4-WEEKDAY(A1),7)+7*(0=MOD(4-WEEKDAY(A1),7))
=A1+7-MOD(4+WEEKDAY(A1,2),7)
=A1+4-WEEKDAY(A1)+IF(WEEKDAY(A1)<4,0,7)
=A1+CHOOSE(WEEKDAY(A1),3,2,1,7,6,5,4)
=A1+(7-MOD(WEEKDAY(A1,3)-2,7))
=A1+4-WEEKDAY(A1)+7*(WEEKDAY(A1)>=4)
=A1-MOD(WEEKDAY(A1)-4,7)+7
=A1+4+((WEEKDAY(A1)>=4)*7)-WEEKDAY(A1)
=A1+MOD(10-WEEKDAY(A1),7)+1
=A1+IF(WEEKDAY(A1) < 4,4,11)-WEEKDAY(A1)

With so many options, which formula should you use? It is entirely up to you and your preferences. Most people would opt for the shortest formula that does the job, but you may want to use a longer one if it is easier for you (or whoever uses your workbook) to understand.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8625) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2016, 2019, 2021, and Excel in Microsoft 365. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Date for Next Wednesday.

Author Bio

Allen Wyatt

With more than 50 non-fiction books and numerous magazine articles to his credit, Allen Wyatt is an internationally recognized author. He is president of Sharon Parq Associates, a computer and publishing services company. ...

MORE FROM ALLEN

Entering Units of Measurement in Dialog Boxes

There are many dialog boxes in Word that allow you to specify various settings that affect the way the program lays out ...

Discover More

Using Callouts

If you want to put comments in your document, you can use Word's built-in comment feature. Another way is to use callout ...

Discover More

Applying Bullets from the Keyboard

Most people use the tools on the Home tab of the ribbon to apply bullets to paragraphs. If you want to apply them using ...

Discover More

Solve Real Business Problems Master business modeling and analysis techniques with Excel and transform data into bottom-line results. This hands-on, scenario-focused guide shows you how to use the latest Excel tools to integrate data from multiple tables. Check out Microsoft Excel Data Analysis and Business Modeling today!

More ExcelTips (ribbon)

Determining Contract Weeks

Everyone seems to determine the difference between dates differently. Nicole has a need to calculate contact weeks (the ...

Discover More

Adding Ordinal Notation to Dates

Want to add an ordinal suffix to a number, as in 2nd, 3rd, or 4th? Excel doesn't provide a way to do it automatically, ...

Discover More

Tombstone Date Math

Doing math with dates is easy in Excel. Doing math with old dates, such as those you routinely encounter in genealogy, is ...

Discover More
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

View most recent newsletter.

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

Comments

If you would like to add an image to your comment (not an avatar, but an image to help in making the point of your comment), include the characters [{fig}] (all 7 characters, in the sequence shown) in your comment text. You’ll be prompted to upload your image when you submit the comment. Maximum image size is 6Mpixels. Images larger than 600px wide or 1000px tall will be reduced. Up to three images may be included in a comment. All images are subject to review. Commenting privileges may be curtailed if inappropriate images are posted.

What is six more than 9?

2024-08-12 07:32:51

RKEEVILL

IF THE DAY OF THE WEEK IS THE SAME AS THE START DATE DON'T USE -1 USE +1

=WORKDAY.INTL(A1+1,1,"1101111")if you're looking for the next Wednesday after the date in cell A1.

2024-08-12 07:27:33

RKEEVILL

this formula is far easier

=WORKDAY.INTL(A1-1,1,"1101111")if you're looking for the next Wednesday after the date in cell A1.

=WORKDAY.INTL(A1-1,3,"1101111") if you're looking for the 3rd Wednesday after the date in cell A1.

This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.

Newest Tips
Subscribe

FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."

(Your e-mail address is not shared with anyone, ever.)

View the most recent newsletter.

Links and Sharing
OUR COMPANY
OUR PRODUCTS
OUR SITES
 

Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.