How to Use the TEXT Function to Calculate with the TODAY Function in Excel

The TEXT function in Excel allows you to convert a value to text in a specified format. The syntax of the TEXT function is:

TEXT(value, format_text)

where value is the number or date that you want to format, and format_text is the text string that defines the formatting of the result.

The TODAY function in Excel returns the current date as a serial number. The syntax of the TODAY function is:

TODAY()

You can use the TEXT function to calculate with the TODAY function in Excel, for example, to get the current year, month, or day in a specific format. This can be useful for creating dynamic formulas that depend on the current date.

Procedures

To use the TEXT function to calculate with the TODAY function in Excel, follow these steps:

1. Enter the TODAY function in a cell, for example, =TODAY(). This will return the current date as a serial number, such as 44333.
2. Wrap the TEXT function around the TODAY function, and specify the format_text argument according to your needs. For example, =TEXT(TODAY(),"yyyy") will return the current year as a four-digit number, such as 2024.
3. You can also use other format codes to get different parts of the current date, such as =TEXT(TODAY(),"mmmm") to get the current month as a full name, such as February, or =TEXT(TODAY(),"ddd") to get the current day as an abbreviated name, such as Fri.
4. You can also combine multiple format codes to get a custom date format, such as =TEXT(TODAY(),"mm/dd/yyyy") to get the current date in the US format, such as 02/09/2024.

Example

Let’s say you want to calculate the number of days left until your birthday, which is on June 15th, 2024. You can use the TEXT function to calculate with the TODAY function in Excel, as follows:

1. Enter your birthday date in a cell, for example, A1, in the format mm/dd/yyyy, such as 06/15/2024.
2. Enter the formula =TEXT(A1,"yyyy")-TEXT(TODAY(),"yyyy") in another cell, for example, B1. This will calculate the difference between the year of your birthday and the current year, such as 0.
3. Enter the formula =TEXT(A1,"mm")-TEXT(TODAY(),"mm") in another cell, for example, C1. This will calculate the difference between the month of your birthday and the current month, such as 4.
4. Enter the formula =TEXT(A1,"dd")-TEXT(TODAY(),"dd") in another cell, for example, D1. This will calculate the difference between the day of your birthday and the current day, such as 6.
5. Enter the formula =DATE(B1,C1,D1) in another cell, for example, E1. This will convert the year, month, and day differences to a date serial number, such as 44399.
6. Enter the formula =E1-TODAY() in another cell, for example, F1. This will calculate the number of days left until your birthday, such as 126.

The following table shows the result of the example:

Other Approaches

There are other ways to use the TEXT function to calculate with the TODAY function in Excel, such as:

• Using the DATEDIF function to calculate the difference between two dates in years, months, or days. For example, =DATEDIF(TODAY(),A1,"d") will return the number of days left until your birthday.
• Using the YEAR, MONTH, and DAY functions to extract the year, month, and day from a date. For example, =YEAR(A1)-YEAR(TODAY()) will return the difference between the year of your birthday and the current year.
• Using the DATEVALUE function to convert a text string to a date serial number. For example, =DATEVALUE("06/15/2024")-TODAY() will return the number of days left until your birthday.