In this guide, you’ll master Excel TODAY NOW skills to work with current dates and times efficiently. Using TODAY() and NOW() functions, you can calculate overdue invoices, track deadlines, generate aging reports, and create dynamic dashboards. These skills are essential for professional Excel users who want to automate date and time calculations and enhance reporting accuracy.
Whether you are preparing aging reports, due date reminders, project tracking, or payroll reports, mastering TODAY() and NOW() will greatly improve your Excel skills and save you time.
What are TODAY() and NOW()?
- TODAY() → Returns the current system date (without time).
- NOW() → Returns the current system date and time.
Both functions update every time you refresh or reopen your Excel sheet.
Example: If today is August 28, 2025, 4:45 PM
=TODAY()→ 28-08-2025=NOW()→ 28-08-2025 16:45
Example Dataset
We’ll use an Invoice dataset to demonstrate practical problems with TODAY() and NOW():
| Invoice_ID | Customer | Invoice_Date | Due_Date | Amount | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INV001 | John | 01-08-2025 | 15-08-2025 | 500 | Paid |
| INV002 | Mary | 05-08-2025 | 20-08-2025 | 1200 | Pending |
| INV003 | Sam | 10-08-2025 | 25-08-2025 | 800 | Pending |
| INV004 | Rita | 15-08-2025 | 30-08-2025 | 1500 | Pending |
| INV005 | Alex | 20-08-2025 | 05-09-2025 | 600 | Pending |
| INV006 | Nina | 22-08-2025 | 10-09-2025 | 900 | Paid |
| INV007 | David | 25-08-2025 | 15-09-2025 | 700 | Pending |
| INV008 | Tom | 27-08-2025 | 20-09-2025 | 1100 | Pending |
20 Excel TODAY NOW Skills Practice Problem
Note: Results may differ from examples because TODAY() and NOW() always return the current date and time.
- Find Today’s Date
Formula:=TODAY()
Answer: 28-08-2025 - Find Current Date and Time
Formula:=NOW()
Answer: 28-08-2025 16:45 - Calculate Days Overdue (Invoice INV002 – Due 20-08-2025)
Formula:=TODAY()-D3
Answer: 8 days overdue - Check if Invoice INV004 (Due 30-08-2025) is Overdue
Formula:=IF(D5<TODAY(),"Overdue","On Time")
Answer: On Time - Find Age of Invoice INV003 (Issued 10-08-2025)
Formula:=TODAY()-C4
Answer: 18 days old - Display Due Date in Long Format (INV004)
Formula:=TEXT(D5,"mmmm dd, yyyy")
Answer: August 30, 2025 - Check if INV005 (Due 05-09-2025) is Due This Week
Formula:=IF(AND(D6>=TODAY(),D6<=TODAY()+7),"Due This Week","")
Answer: “” (empty, not this week) - Highlight Invoices Due Today
Formula:=IF(D2=TODAY(),"Due Today","")
Answer: None (no due dates = 28-08-2025) - Count Pending Invoices Already Due
Formula:=COUNTIFS(E:E,"Pending",D:D,"<="&TODAY())
Answer: 2 (INV002, INV003) - Days Until Due Date (INV005 Due 05-09-2025)
Formula:=D6-TODAY()
Answer: 8 days left - Reminder Message (INV002)
Formula:="Invoice "&A3&" is due in "&D3-TODAY()&" days"
Answer: Invoice INV002 is due in -8 days (overdue) - Check if Invoice is Paid (INV006)
Formula:=IF(E7="Paid","Paid","Pending")
Answer: Paid - Weekday of Due Date (INV004 – 30-08-2025)
Formula:=TEXT(D5,"dddd")
Answer: Saturday - Current Time Only
Formula:=TEXT(NOW(),"hh:mm AM/PM")
Answer: 04:45 PM - Current Year
Formula:=YEAR(TODAY())
Answer: 2025 - Current Month Name
Formula:=TEXT(TODAY(),"mmmm")
Answer: August - Days Remaining in Current Month
Formula:=EOMONTH(TODAY(),0)-TODAY()
Answer: 3 days left - Invoice Aging Bucket (INV003, Issued 10-08-2025)
Formula:=IF(TODAY()-C4<=30,"0-30 Days", IF(TODAY()-C4<=60,"31-60 Days","60+ Days"))
Answer: 0-30 Days - Current Quarter
Formula:="Q"&ROUNDUP(MONTH(TODAY())/3,0)
Answer: Q3 - Generate Report Line
Formula:="[Report Generated on " & TEXT(NOW(),"dd-mmm-yyyy hh:mm") & "]"
Answer: [Report Generated on 28-Aug-2025 16:45]
Get Free Excel TODAY NOW Practice File
What This Template Teaches
This Excel TODAY() / NOW() template helps you practice essential date and time management skills. You’ll learn how to:
- Track overdue invoices automatically
- Build real-time aging reports
- Generate reminders dynamically
- Format dates and times into professional reports
- Improve your Excel skills for finance, HR, and project management
The file includes 20 practical problems with solutions, so you can follow step by step and master Excel’s date and time functions for real-world business scenarios.
