Calculate AGE in Excel from Date of Birth (in Years, Months, & Days)

Introduction

This tutorial will guide you through the process of calculating age in Excel using the DATEDIF function. You will learn how to determine age in years, months, and days from a date of birth. This function is particularly useful for managing data related to ages in various applications, such as demographic analysis, record keeping, or event planning.

Step 1: Entering the Date of Birth

1. Open Excel and create a new spreadsheet.
2. In cell A1, enter a header like "Date of Birth."
3. In cell A2, input the date of birth you wish to calculate the age from. Ensure the date is in a recognizable format (e.g., MM/DD/YYYY).

Step 2: Using the DATEDIF Function

1. In cell B1, enter a header like "Age in Years."

2. In cell B2, type the following formula to calculate the age in years:

   =DATEDIF(A2, TODAY(), "Y")
   

   • This formula calculates the total number of complete years between the date of birth and today's date.

3. In cell C1, enter a header like "Age in Months."

4. In cell C2, input the following formula to calculate the age in months:

   =DATEDIF(A2, TODAY(), "YM")
   

   • This formula calculates the number of months after the last completed year.

5. In cell D1, enter a header like "Age in Days."

6. In cell D2, use this formula to calculate the age in days:

   =DATEDIF(A2, TODAY(), "MD")
   

   • This formula calculates the number of days after the last completed month.

Step 3: Combining the Results

1. In cell E1, enter a header like "Full Age."
2. In cell E2, combine the results from the previous calculations into a single string:

   =B2 & " years, " & C2 & " months, " & D2 & " days"
   

   • This formula concatenates the values to provide a complete age representation.

Tips for Accuracy

• Ensure the date format is consistent throughout your spreadsheet.
• If the date of birth is in the future, the DATEDIF function will return an error; validate your data before using it.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you have learned how to calculate age in Excel using the DATEDIF function. You can now easily determine ages in years, months, and days from any given date of birth. For further learning, consider exploring additional Excel functions and their applications in data management.