The EOMONTH function with examples in Excel

The EOMONTH function in Excel is a powerful tool for calculating the last day of a month, either in the past or the future. Let’s explore how it works and look at some examples:

1. Syntax:

   • EOMONTH(start_date, months)
   • start_date: A valid Excel date representing the initial date.
   • months: The number of months before or after start_date.

2. Examples:

   • To find the last day of the current month, use:

     =EOMONTH(TODAY(), 0)

     (result: last day of the current month).
   • For the last day of the next month, use:

     =EOMONTH(TODAY(), 1)

     (result: last day of the next month).
   • To calculate the last day of the month three months ago, use:

     =EOMONTH(TODAY(), -3)

     (result: last day of the month, three months before today).

3. Additional Scenarios:

   • You can also move through years using EOMONTH. For example:
     • To find the last day of May 2018, use:

       =EOMONTH("2017-05-12", 12)

       (result: May 31, 2018).
     • To get the last day of May 2020, use:

       =EOMONTH("2017-05-12", 36)

       (result: May 31, 2020).

4. First Day of Current Month:

   • Although EOMONTH returns the last day of the month, you can use it to find the first day of the current month like this:

     =EOMONTH(TODAY(), -1) + 1