How Many Work Days in a Year? [2024]

Inside: Looking to know how many work days in a year? You’re in the right place! This guide will tell you everything you need to know about working days in a year including leap years.

We all know there are 365 days in a year. But how many of those days can we realistically expect to work?

That’s a question we get asked a lot! And it’s not as simple to answer as you might think.

The answer depends on a few factors, like whether you’re full-time or part-time, how many vacation days you have, and whether you work weekends.

To help simplify things, we’ve put together this handy guide that outlines the number of work days in each year. So whether you’re planning ahead or just curious, read on to find out how many work days you can expect!

This is how many business days in a year you can expect.

What is the definition of a work day?

A work day is typically defined as the time that a person spends working, excluding other activities such as eating and sleeping.

For most people, a work day is eight hours long.

How many working days are typically in a year?

There are typically 260 working days in a year.

Given in general, there are 52 weeks in each year and 40 hours per work day.

52 weeks * 5 work days per week = 260 working days

how many work days in a month

The number of working days will vary each month since the month is not made up with the same number of days.

As a general rule, February will have the least amount of working days in a month. Whereas, January, March, May, July, August, October, and December will likely have the most.

Typically, there are 19-22 work days in a month.

How does the calendar year affect the number of workdays in any given year?

The number of work days in a year fluctuates depending on when work days fall in correlation with the number of days each money as well as any extra days off given by federal holidays.

While the calendar year has 365 days, not all of them are workdays.

The shortest work-day month is in February and the longest work-day month has 31 days in them. In order to account for this variation, businesses must take the number of days in each month into consideration when planning their production schedule.

How to Count Work Days (Quickly)

As you can guess, we said there are on average 260 working days per year. That means some years there are a few more and other years a few fewer days.

So, how do you calculate that?

You need to find which day the “repeat day” falls.

What exactly is the repeat day?

There are 365 days a year; however, we only have 52 weeks a year. Since there are seven days a week, that equates to 364 days. Thus, one repeat day per year.

Let’s look Look at the calendar for 2024, which is a leap year, the “repeat days” are on Monday and Tuesday. That means 262 work days again!

Look at the calendar for 2025, the “repeat day” is on Wednesday. Since Wednesday is traditionally considered to be a work day, there will be 261 working days for 2025.

Now, here is a historical look back on Working days in a year:

• 2023 = repeat day was Sunday, so 260 work days.
• 2022 = repeat day was Saturday, so 260 work days.
• 2021 = repeat day was Friday, so 261 work days.
• 2020 = repeat days were Wednesday and Thursday, so 262 work days. (LEAP YEAR)
• 2019 = repeat day was Tuesday, so 261 work days.

Leap Year – 366 Days

A leap year is a year that contains an extra day, with February having one additional day compared to other years.

More than likely, you will have an extra work day in Leap years unless February 29th falls on a Saturday or Sunday.

The next leap years are 2024, 2028, and 2032.

In 2024, February 29th falls on Thursday with a “repeat day” on Tuesday. So, there will be 262 working days in 2024.

For 2028, February 29th falls on Tuesday with a “repeat day” on Sunday. So, there will only be 261 working days in 2028.

In 2032, February 29th falls on Sunday with “repeat days” on Thursday and Friday. So, there will be 262 working days in 2032.

That means in leap years, be prepared to work more days.

Work Days in a Year

Are you a visual person? Here is a simple chart based on working days for each year.

Remember, this is based on which day is your “repeat day.”

	2026	2025	2024	2023
Mondays	53	52	53	52
Tuesdays	53	52	53	52
Wednesdays	52	53	52	52
Thursdays	53	52	52	52
Fridays	52	52	52	52
Total Work Days	261	261	262	260
Total Work Hours	2088	2088	2096	2080

	2022	2021	2020	2019
Mondays	52	52	52	52
Tuesdays	52	52	52	53
Wednesdays	52	52	53	52
Thursdays	52	52	53	52
Fridays	52	53	52	52
Total Work Days	260	261	262	261
Total Work Hours	2080	2088	2096	2088

Let’s be honest… you really want to know the number of weekends in a year?

Is it possible to increase or decrease the number of working days per year?

Yes, you can choose to change the number of work days you choose to work per year.

But, you cannot change the number of working days available based on the calendar system.

How Do Holidays Affect Working Days?

While most companies follow the Federal bank holidays, that will decrease the number of working days you personally will work.

However, not all industries and businesses, give those days off to their employees. So, you will have to discuss with your Human Resources department the number of paid holidays as well as personal time off (PTO) you are given.

How do Shutdown Periods Affect Work days

There are shutdown periods for certain industries, which can affect the number of working days.

This is the result of businesses choosing to close their entire production line or stop working across all divisions for a set amount of time. The most significant shutdown period in the United States typically happens between Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day.

Why Does the Number of Working Days Matter?

Multiple studies show that being overworked causes many different issues for people. Specifically, there is a lack of work-life balance.

Thus, many people want to decrease the number of working days and increase the amount of money they take home.

What Happens if the Four Day Work Week Becomes the Norm?

Several benefits come with having a shorter working week. Not only will employees be more productive, but they will also be less likely to develop health problems, as they will have more time for rest and relaxation.

Additionally, businesses will be able to operate more efficiently, as they will have fewer workers to manage.

The four day work week would result in 208 work days on average.

How Many Working Days in a year do you average?

Assuming you work a standard five-day work week, you average 260 working days in a year.

However, this number can fluctuate depending on holidays and whether or not it’s a leap year or how many work weeks you choose to work.

So, look at your employment contract to see the number of paid days off you get. Take that number and subtract it from the average 260 work days. That is your personal number of work days you work.

Average work days – personal days off = your average work days

In general, though, you can expect to have about 260 working days in a year.

This also means there is plenty of time to make money fast in your spare time.

Know someone else that needs this, too? Then, please share!!