| Syntax |
| =TODAY() |
| Purpose / Description |
| Returns the serial date number, representing the current date as per the system clock. |
| Arguments |
| Name |
Type |
Description |
| no arguments |
No arguments are required because the return value is derived from the system clock, however, the parentheses that surround arguments are still required in functions without arguments, otherwise Excel will attempt to interpret them as defined names. |
| Return Values |
| Type |
Specific Value |
Description |
| number |
|
An integer as a serial date number representing the current date based on the system clock, |
| Notes / Comments / Advice / Warnings |
| Note: |
When the TODAY function is placed in a cell, the number format of the cell is automatically changed to a standard date format - "Short Date" format defined on the user's locale settings. |
| Note: |
The value returned by the 1904 date system is 1462 lower than for the standard, accounting for the difference in years and the assignment of the zero date. |
| Warning: |
This function is volatile. If only some heading information or a series of values for validation depend upon it, the impact on calculation performance is minimal, however, if a large number of formulas trace their dependency back to a formula using TODAY, the impact can be significant. See the Ready Reference article: Volatile Functions and Expressions for more information on volatility. |
| Examples: |
Open / download sample workbook: TODAY, NOW.xlsx |
| |