How to Add One Year to a Date in Excel

The simplest way to add one year to a date in Excel is =EDATE(A2,12), which moves the date in A2 forward by 12 months. If the result shows up as a number like 46388, format the cell as a date. You can also use =DATE(YEAR(A2)+1,MONTH(A2),DAY(A2)). Both handle leap years correctly. Adding 365 days doesn’t, so avoid =A2+365. Below are the steps, how the two formulas differ on February 29, and how to add several years or fill a column with yearly dates.

Method 1: EDATE (recommended)

1. Click the cell where you want the new date, for example B2.
2. Type =EDATE(A2,12) and press Enter. A2 is the original date and 12 is the number of months to add.
3. If you see a five-digit number instead of a date, select the cell, go to Home, open the Number Format drop-down, and choose Short Date or Long Date.
4. Double-click the fill handle (the small square at the bottom-right of the cell) to copy the formula down the column.

Excel stores dates as numbers counting days from January 1, 1900, and EDATE returns that number. Formatting the cell only changes how it looks. See how to change the date format in Excel for other display styles.

Method 2: The DATE function

This formula takes the date apart, adds one to the year, and puts it back together:

=DATE(YEAR(A2)+1,MONTH(A2),DAY(A2))

It’s longer, but it makes the logic easy to see and it’s easy to change. For example, =DATE(YEAR(A2)+1,MONTH(A2),1) gives the first of the same month next year.

What happens on February 29?

The two methods only differ for a leap day:

• =EDATE("2028-02-29",12) returns February 28, 2029. EDATE stays in the same month and uses the last day if needed.
• =DATE(2028+1,2,29) returns March 1, 2029. Excel rolls the extra day over into the next month.

For things like subscriptions and contract terms, EDATE’s February 28 is usually what people expect. For anniversaries counted in days, March 1 may be the better answer. Pick whichever matches your rules.

Why not just add 365?

=A2+365 adds 365 days, not one year. Any time the year you’re adding crosses a February 29, you’ll land a day early. For example, January 1, 2028 plus 365 days is December 31, 2028, because 2028 is a leap year. Use EDATE or DATE instead.

Add more than one year

• Two years: =EDATE(A2,24)
• Five years: =EDATE(A2,60)
• The number of years in B2: =EDATE(A2,B2*12) or =DATE(YEAR(A2)+B2,MONTH(A2),DAY(A2))

Subtract a year

Use a negative number: =EDATE(A2,-12) gives the same date one year earlier.

Add a year minus one day (end dates)

A one-year contract that starts on March 15, 2026 usually ends on March 14, 2027. Subtract one day from the result:

=EDATE(A2,12)-1

Fill a column with yearly dates

To list the same date for the next several years without a formula:

1. Type the starting date in a cell.
2. Select that cell and the cells below it that you want to fill.
3. Go to Home > Fill > Series.
4. Choose Columns, set Type to Date, set Date unit to Year, and leave Step value at 1.
5. Click OK.

You can also right-click and drag the fill handle down, let go, and choose Fill Years from the menu that appears.

Troubleshooting

#VALUE! error

The original “date” is text, not a real date. A real date is right-aligned in the cell by default. Convert it with =DATEVALUE(A2), or use Data > Text to Columns and choose a date format in the last step. See how to convert the date format in Excel.

The year changed but the date looks wrong

Check whether your PC uses day/month or month/day order. 03/04/2026 is March 4 in the US and April 3 in the UK. Switching the display to a long date format makes it obvious.

The result is a date in 1900

The source cell is blank or zero. Wrap the formula to skip empty cells: =IF(A2="","",EDATE(A2,12)).

Related date tricks

• Add six months: =EDATE(A2,6). See how to add 6 months to a date in Excel.
• Add days: =A2+7 works fine for days. See how to add 7 days to a date in Excel.
• Count the time between two dates: see how to calculate months between two dates in Excel.

Frequently asked questions

Does EDATE work in Google Sheets?

Yes. =EDATE(A2,12) works the same way in Google Sheets.

Which versions of Excel have EDATE?

All current versions, including Excel for Microsoft 365, Excel for the web, and Excel for Mac.

Can I add a year to today’s date?

Yes: =EDATE(TODAY(),12). It updates every day you open the workbook.

Summary

Type =EDATE(A2,12) and format the result as a date. Use the DATE version if you want February 29 to roll forward to March 1, and avoid adding 365 days.

Related: how to change the date format in Excel.