How to count years between two dates with the DATEDIF

This article show you how to count years between two dates using the DATEDIF function.

Syntax

=DATEDIF(start date, end date, "y")

Steps

1. Use =DATEDIF(
2. Select or type range reference that includes start date B3,
3. Select or type range reference that includes end date C3,
4. Type "y" to specify year
5. Type ) and press Enter to complete the formula

How

DATEDIF is a rarely used function known by few users. Microsoft hasn't documented it since Excel 2000 and actually wants it to be forgotten. The DATEDIF function has been derived from Lotus 1-2-3 for compatibility and luckily still there to help us.

The DATEDIF function returns the difference between two dates by specified unit type. It gets 3 arguments, start date, end date and unit. The unit is a string that specifies the difference type that may be day, month, year or combination of them. For example; "y" string represents year and this is what we need for this article.

=DATEDIF(B3,C3,"y")

Also see article how to count months between two dates with the DATEDIF.