How to Create a Formula to Increase a Date by 1 Month in Excel

Use an Excel date formula to add a month

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: January 10, 2025 Fact Checked

If you're using Microsoft Excel as a calendar or tracker, you don't need to manually change the dates each month or year! You can use the "EDATE" formula to automatically add one month to your existing data. Here's how to create a formula to increase a date by 1 month in Microsoft Excel.

Adding Months to a Date in Excel

To increase the date of a cell by a month in Microsoft Excel, create a new column next to your dates. Select a cell in the new column and type the formula =EDATE(A2,1) where A2 is the first cell of your data and 1 is the number of months to be added.

Steps

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1
Insert a new column next to your data. This column is where you'll see the new dates for your data.
- If you don't already have your spreadsheet open, do it now.
2
Format the column. Make sure the column is properly formatted. To do so:
- Select the column you want to format.
- Right-click and select Format Cells.
- Click Date and select a type.
- Click OK.
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3
Select the first blank cell of your new column. This should be directly next to the first cell of your data.
- For example, the first cell of your data can be A2 while the first cell of your new column can be B2.
4
Type the formula =EDATE(A2,1). A2 represents the first cell of your data while 1 represents the number of months to be added to the date.^{[1]
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- If your first cell has a different location, replace A2 with the location.
This will apply the formula to cell B2. You should see the changed date with one month added.
6
Double-click the square in the changed cell. You may need to select cell B2 again to see it.
- This will apply the formula to the rest of the cells below. The existing date in the cells will all increase by one month.
- If needed, you can delete the original column.