Resulting date
Jan 6, 2026
Tuesday
Previous Business Day Finder
Find the most recent business day before your selected date.
Apply weekend patterns, holiday presets, custom holidays, and optional cutoff timing to return an inclusive or exclusive previous business day.
Date inputs
Business day parameters
Control start timing, weekend rules, holiday exclusions, and output format to locate the previous business day.
Results
Business day outcome
Outputs refresh as inputs change. Dates are deterministic and exclude weekends and holidays according to your rules.
Effective start date
Jan 7, 2026
No cutoff shift applied.
Calendar days moved
1
Absolute gap from effective start to the result.
Weekends skipped
0
Based on your weekend pattern.
Holidays skipped
0
Preset plus custom holidays when enabled.
Mode used
Previous business day (exclusive)
Inclusive can return the start date when it qualifies.
Weekend pattern
Saturday–Sunday weekend
Custom weekdays apply when selected.
Holiday handling
UK 2026
Preset lists are illustrative.
Estimates are illustrative and for educational purposes only. This tool does not provide financial or investment advice.
Holidays
Included non-working days
View the preset holidays loaded for the selected country and year, plus any custom dates you add. Lists are illustrative and may not cover regional differences.
Preset
UK · 2026
2026-01-01New Year’s Day
2026-04-03Good Friday
2026-04-06Easter Monday
2026-05-04Early May Bank Holiday
2026-05-25Spring Bank Holiday
2026-08-31Summer Bank Holiday
2026-12-25Christmas Day
2026-12-28Boxing Day (substitute day)
Custom holidays
No custom dates added
Add dates in the form to see them here.
Holiday data is static, illustrative, and may not reflect regional or observance-specific calendars.
Breakdown
Show calculation steps
Expand to view each day counted, weekend skips, and holiday skips. Rendering is memoized for long ranges.
Steps generate only when expanded to keep rendering fast for long spans.
Scenarios
Scenario comparison
Save mixes of start dates, modes, weekend rules, and holiday settings to compare outcomes.
Save at least one scenario to build a comparison set.
Results explainer
You’ll see the previous business day, the effective start date used, the mode applied, and which weekend and holiday rules were considered. Cards highlight any cutoff shift before stepping backward.
Disclaimer
Estimates are illustrative and for educational purposes only. This tool does not provide financial, investment, tax, or legal advice. Results depend on your inputs and assumptions and may not reflect local working-time conventions or regional holiday observances.
How it works
The finder starts from your effective start date (after any cutoff shift), then walks backward one day at a time to find the most recent business day that is not a weekend or holiday.
Inputs used
- Start date and optional start time
- Mode: exclusive (always step back) or inclusive (allow the same day)
- Weekend pattern or custom weekdays to exclude
- Holiday preset by country and year plus custom dates
- Cutoff time toggle that can shift the effective start forward by one day
Core steps
- Normalize the start date and apply cutoff if enabled
- If exclusive, move back one calendar day before evaluating
- Skip any date matching weekend rules
- Skip any date in the preset or custom holiday list when exclusions are on
- Stop on the first business day found
- Report weekend and holiday skips plus cutoff effects
Calculation steps
- Check the start time against cutoff rules to set the effective start.
- If exclusive mode, move back one calendar day before evaluation.
- Skip any date matching weekend rules.
- Skip any date in the preset or custom holiday list when exclusions are on.
- Stop when a business day is found and surface the supporting details.
Example scenario
Example: Start on a Tuesday at 18:30 with a 17:00 cutoff enabled. The effective start shifts to Wednesday, exclusive mode moves back one day, and with a Saturday–Sunday weekend plus UK holidays the result lands on the prior Monday.
Interpretation notes
- Weekend patterns change how many days you step past before landing on a business day.
- Cutoff rules only move the effective start when enabled and when a time is provided.
- Holiday lists are illustrative; regional observances may differ.
- Inclusive mode returns the same day if it is already a business day.
- Exclusive mode always moves at least one calendar day backward.
Limitations & assumptions
The finder uses static holiday presets, simple weekend patterns, and optional cutoff handling. It does not fetch regional calendars, account for partial working days, or model jurisdiction-specific working-time laws. Treat outputs as illustrative for planning scenarios.
FAQs
Quick answers
What counts as a business day in this finder?
A business day is any date that is not part of the selected weekend pattern and not on the active holiday list. Custom weekends and holidays apply only when enabled.
How are weekends and holidays applied?
Weekend patterns skip their matching weekdays. Holiday presets add exclusions for your chosen country and year, and you can add custom dates. Lists are illustrative and not jurisdiction-specific.
What is the difference between inclusive and exclusive mode?
Inclusive mode returns the same date when it is already a business day. Exclusive mode always steps back at least one calendar day before finding the previous business day.
How does the cutoff time affect the effective start?
When enabled, a start time after the cutoff shifts the effective start date forward by one calendar day before searching for the previous business day. If cutoff is off or no time is provided, the start date is used as-is.
Is this tool providing legal or financial advice?
No. It is a date-math utility for planning scenarios. Outputs are illustrative and depend on your selected inputs.
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