MONTH Formula in Excel

Returns the month portion of a date or duration.

Syntax

Formula structure

Source: Quadratic docs
=MONTH(date)
date
Required: Yes

Required argument used by the MONTH formula.

Examples for the month formula in excel

Copy these examples into a spreadsheet and adjust the ranges for your own data.

MONTH syntax pattern

=MONTH(date)

Use this MONTH pattern as the starting point for your spreadsheet formula.

MONTH in a worksheet

=MONTH(date)

Returns the month portion of a date or duration.

When to use MONTH

Use MONTH when you need to return the month portion of a date or duration.

  • Construct dates, times, and durations.
  • Extract time parts and shift dates for reporting.

How MONTH works in Quadratic

In Quadratic, MONTH follows the syntax MONTH(date). The function works inside Quadratic formulas and can be combined with spreadsheet ranges, tables, and other formulas.

Common MONTH mistakes

Most MONTH issues come from mismatched argument types, ranges that do not cover the intended data, or optional parameters being omitted when the default behavior is not what you expected.

  • Check each required parameter before copying the formula across a sheet.
  • Confirm that ranges line up with the rows or columns you intend to analyze.
  • Use Quadratic AI to explain or debug the formula when the result looks wrong.

Related formulas

NOWTODAYDATETIME

MONTH formula FAQ

What does the month formula in excel do?

MONTH returns the month portion of a date or duration.

What is the syntax for MONTH?

The syntax is MONTH(date). Required and optional parameters are listed at the top of this guide.

Can Quadratic AI help with MONTH?

Yes. Quadratic AI can write a MONTH formula, explain existing formula logic, or help debug broken references and unexpected results.

Quadratic AI

Struggling with formulas? Use Quadratic AI.

Spreadsheet formulas are powerful, but they get painful fast. A MONTH formula can start simple, then turn into logic that is hard to understand, easy to break, and difficult to share with the rest of your team.

Quadratic AI helps you write formulas, explain formula logic, debug broken references, and move beyond formulas when advanced analysis needs Python, SQL, charts, or connected data.

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Why formulas slow teams down

  • Long formulas become hard to read, understand, and trust.
  • Formula logic breaks when rows, columns, or assumptions change.
  • Manual updates make dashboards and reports fragile over time.
  • Complex formulas are difficult to explain, review, and share with teammates.
  • Advanced analysis quickly outgrows formula-only workflows.