How to Create a Formula to Increase a Date by 1 Month: 6 Steps

Microsoft Excel is a powerful program. If you are using it for a calendar or anything else where you might need to find the date exactly 1, 2, or 3 months after another date here is a formula you can use.
STEPS

1

TURN ON YOUR COMPUTER AND OPEN A NEW OR EXISTING EXCEL SPREADSHEET.

2

IN ANY CELL, FOR THIS EXAMPLE WE WILL USE A

2

, TYPE IN YOU DATE. Ex. 1/1/

2

006

3

IN A DIFFERENT CELL, FOR THIS EXAMPLE WE USED B2, TYPE IN THE AMOUNT OF MONTHS CELL A2 IS TO BE INCREMENTED BY. Ex. 5

4

IN THE LAST CELL TYPE THE FORMULA:
=DATE(YEAR(A2),MONTH(A2)+B2,MIN(DAY(A2),DAY(DATE(YEAR(A2),MONTH(A2)+B2+1,0)))) replacing what is in bold with the appropriate cells for your spreadsheet.

5

YOU WILL SEE THAT THIS CELL NOW HAS THE CALCULATION DESIRED.

6

Another option is to use =EDATE(start_date,months)
This is a simpler method but can only be used if the Analysis ToolPak add-in is installed.
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TIPS
Calculating the Day is complicated due to the varying 30 and 31 day months. This formula will take a date like 10/31/2006 and add 1 month to become 11/30/2006. Where as, a more simple formula without the MIN function may give the incorrect date of 12/1/2006.