Mastering Date and Time Calculations in Excel

Date and time computations in Excel can be challenging at first glance, but a handful of straightforward formulas can simplify the process, allowing you to add or subtract half a year, month, or hour. Here's the breakdown:

Grasping the Basics: The Formulas

Key to manipulating dates and times are two functions: EDATE() and TIME(). The EDATE() function allows you to add or subtract months from a given date, while the TIME() function lets you modify hours. For calculations involving half a year or month, you simply utilize half the corresponding number of months or hours.

Dive deeper into the EDATE function: EDATE - Excel

Explore more about the TIME function: TIME - Excel

Adding or Subtracting Half a Year

To manipulate a date in cell A1 by half a year (6 months), you use =EDATE(A1,6) for addition and =EDATE(A1,-6) for subtraction.

Adding or Subtracting Half a Month

For adjusting a date in cell A1 by half a month (15 days), the formulas =A1+15 for addition and =A1-15 for subtraction come into play.

Adding or Subtracting Half an Hour

To add or subtract half an hour to a time in cell A1, you employ =A1+TIME(0,30,0) for addition and =A1-TIME(0,30,0) for subtraction.

Take note that Excel might auto-format the result of a time calculation as a date. To view only the time, you need to adjust the cell format to 'Time'.

Get insight on changing Excel cell formats: Format Numbers as Time - Excel

Conclusion

Adhering to these steps allows you to swiftly adjust dates and times in Excel by half a year, month, or hour. With the knowledge of EDATE() and TIME() functions, you can perform these manipulations effortlessly, ensuring to set the correct cell format to 'Time' for accurate viewing.