Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Excel versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Excel 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Excel, click here: Using the EOMONTH Function.

Using the EOMONTH Function

Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated November 16, 2019)
This tip applies to Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003


The EOMONTH function is used to return the serial number value for the last day of any particular month, past, present, or future. The syntax for the function is as follows:

=EOMONTH(base, offset)

The base value is a date from which the function should do its calculations, and the offset is a number that indicates how many months from the base date should be used. For instance, an offset of 0 would indicate that EOMONTH should return the last day of the month represented in base, whereas an offset of 4 would be four months after base, and –2 would be two months before.

As an example, the following are typical uses of EOMONTH. The first line can be used to return the last day of the current month, and the second line returns the last day of the month six months later than the date in A1:

=EOMONTH(NOW(),0)
=EOMONTH(A1,6)

Remember that EOMONTH returns a serial number. Excel does not automatically format the serial number as a date. In other words, you will need to explicitly format the cell as a date.

The EOMONTH function is a part of the Analysis Toolpak. If you get an error when you try to use the function, you can make sure the toolpak is loaded in this manner:

  1. Choose Add-Ins from the Tools menu. Excel displays the Add-Ins dialog box.
  2. Make sure the Analysis Toolpak check box is selected.
  3. Click on OK.

ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (2810) applies to Microsoft Excel 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Excel (Excel 2007 and later) here: Using the EOMONTH Function.

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

Editing Headers and Footers

Headers and footers are a nice final touch in a document. You can easily edit them by using the methods described in this ...

Discover More

Creating a Transcription

In many offices, it is necessary to covert audio files (such as meeting recordings) into text. Some versions of Word have ...

Discover More

Disappearing Column Formatting

Two things go into making your documents look just right: content and formatting. If the formatting seems to disappear on ...

Discover More

Dive Deep into Macros! Make Excel do things you thought were impossible, discover techniques you won't find anywhere else, and create powerful automated reports. Bill Jelen and Tracy Syrstad help you instantly visualize information to make it actionable. You’ll find step-by-step instructions, real-world case studies, and 50 workbooks packed with examples and solutions. Check out Microsoft Excel 2019 VBA and Macros today!

More ExcelTips (menu)

Unique Date Displays

Need to print an elapsed date in a strange format? It's easier to do than may appear at first glance. Here's a discussion ...

Discover More

Using Excel for Timing

Excel allows you to store times in a worksheet. If you want to use Excel to time certain events, there are a couple of ...

Discover More

Elapsed Days as Years, Months and Days

Need to know how many days there are between two dates? It's easy to figure out—unless you need the figure in ...

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.

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 9 + 4?

There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)


This Site

Got a version of Excel that uses the menu interface (Excel 97, Excel 2000, Excel 2002, or Excel 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the ribbon 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.