How many days since the first COVID lockdown in the UK?

The first UK national COVID-19 lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 23 March 2020. From 23 March 2020 to 20 February 2026 is approximately 2,160 days (5 years, 10 months). The lockdown began at 8:30 PM and told people to stay at home except for essential purposes. The first lockdown was lifted in stages from late May 2020, with the Rule of Six introduced in September 2020.

How do I calculate days between two dates?

To calculate days between two dates: (1) Enter a start date in the 'Start Date' field. (2) Enter an end date in the 'End Date' field. (3) Click Calculate. The tool returns the exact number of days, weeks, months, and years between the two dates, accounting for leap years and varying month lengths. For manual calculation: subtract the earlier date from the later date. Each calendar year has 365 days (366 in leap years). Each month varies from 28 to 31 days. Our calculator handles all these complexities automatically.

How do I calculate dates in Excel or SQL?

In Microsoft Excel, subtract two date cells directly: =B1-A1 gives the number of days between dates. For DATEDIF: =DATEDIF(A1,B1,'D') gives days, =DATEDIF(A1,B1,'M') gives months, =DATEDIF(A1,B1,'Y') gives years. In SQL Server: DATEDIFF(day, '2020-01-31', GETDATE()) gives days since 31 Jan 2020. In MySQL: DATEDIFF(NOW(), '2020-01-31'). In PostgreSQL: DATE_PART('day', NOW() - '2020-01-31'::DATE). Excel stores dates as serial numbers from 1 January 1900, so subtracting two date cells directly gives the number of days difference.

How do I add or subtract days from a date?

Use the Date Arithmetic section of our calculator. Enter a start date and the number of days to add or subtract. For example: adding 90 days to 1 March 2026 gives 29 May 2026. Subtracting 100 days from 20 February 2026 gives 12 November 2025. This is useful for calculating payment due dates (30, 60, 90 days), notice periods (typically 1–3 months in UK employment law), tenancy notice periods (Section 21: 2 months), probationary period end dates, visa duration calculations, and school term planning.

How many weekdays are between two dates?

Weekdays (Monday to Friday) between two dates are calculated by subtracting the total calendar days by the number of weekends and bank holidays. Roughly, weekdays = total days × (5/7). For example, 100 calendar days contains approximately 71 weekdays. Our calculator shows total days; for precise weekday counts in employment contexts (e.g. notice periods, SLA calculation), you should subtract Saturdays, Sundays, and the 8 England and Wales bank holidays per year. UK employment law typically measures notice periods in calendar weeks or months rather than working days.

How many paydays are in a year?

If you are paid monthly, you receive 12 paydays per year. If paid fortnightly (every 2 weeks), you receive 26 paydays. If paid weekly, you receive 52 paydays (53 in some years depending on the day). Use our calculator to find out how many paydays fall between today and any future date — useful for savings planning. For example, if payday is the last working day of each month, enter today's date and a future date to count the months between them, which equals the number of monthly paydays remaining.

Days Since Calculator | Time Elapsed UK

Last updated: February 2026 | MB By Mustafa Bilgic

📅 Browse all Date & Time Calculators →

Days Since — Time Elapsed

Enter a past date to find how long ago it was, or enter two dates to find the time between them.

Start Date:

End Date (leave blank for today):

UK Historical Events — Quick Reference:

Date Arithmetic — Add or Subtract Days

Enter a date and a number of days to add or subtract to find the resulting date.

Base Date:

Number of Days:

Operation:

Add days Subtract days

UK Historical Timeline — Important Dates

From landmark political decisions to defining cultural moments, these are the key dates in modern UK history. Use the calculator above to find out how many days have passed since each one.

Brexit — UK Leaves the EU

31 Jan 2020

After three years of political turmoil following the 2016 referendum (23 June 2016 — itself 3,528 days ago), the UK officially left the European Union at 11:00 PM GMT. The transition period ended 31 December 2020 when the UK–EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into force.

First UK COVID-19 Lockdown

23 Mar 2020

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK's first national lockdown. People were told to stay at home except for essential shopping, one form of daily exercise, medical needs, and essential work. The lockdown fundamentally changed UK daily life, accelerating remote working and reshaping high streets permanently.

Death of Queen Elizabeth II

8 Sep 2022

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II passed away at Balmoral Castle, Scotland, aged 96. She was the UK's longest-reigning monarch, having served for 70 years and 214 days since her accession on 6 February 1952. King Charles III immediately acceded to the throne.

Coronation of King Charles III

6 May 2023

King Charles III and Queen Camilla were crowned at Westminster Abbey — the first coronation since Queen Elizabeth II's on 2 June 1953 (a gap of 70 years). The ceremony was attended by heads of state from around the world and watched by an estimated 20 million people in the UK.

2016 EU Membership Referendum

23 Jun 2016

The UK voted 51.9% to 48.1% to leave the European Union. Turnout was 72.2%. England and Wales voted Leave; Scotland and Northern Ireland voted Remain. The result triggered years of parliamentary debate and three prime ministers before the formal departure on 31 January 2020.

London 2012 Olympics Opening

27 Jul 2012

The London 2012 Summer Olympics opened at the Olympic Stadium, Stratford. The UK won 65 medals (29 gold, 17 silver, 19 bronze), finishing third in the overall medal table — its best performance since 1908. Danny Boyle's opening ceremony was watched by an estimated 900 million people worldwide.

Date Formats: UK, US, ISO & Programming

One of the most common sources of confusion in international communication is date format. Getting it wrong can cause costly mistakes in contracts, bookings, immigration documents, and financial transactions.

The Three Main Date Formats

Format	Structure	Example (4th July 2026)	Used In
UK / British	DD/MM/YYYY	04/07/2026	UK, Australia, most of Europe, India
US / American	MM/DD/YYYY	07/04/2026	United States, Canada (informal)
ISO 8601	YYYY-MM-DD	2026-07-04	International standard, databases, APIs
Long form	D Month YYYY	4 July 2026	Formal UK documents, letters

Warning: Ambiguous Dates

Any date where the day and month are both 12 or under is ambiguous between UK and US format. 01/02/2026 means 1 February 2026 in the UK but January 2, 2026 in the US. Always use the full month name or ISO format when communicating internationally.

Date Calculations in Spreadsheets and Databases

Microsoft Excel

=B1-A1 — Days between two date cells (format result as number)
=DATEDIF(A1,B1,"D") — Days difference (D), months (M), years (Y)
=TODAY()-A1 — Days since a date (A1 contains the historical date)
=A1+90 — Add 90 days to a date in A1
=NETWORKDAYS(A1,B1) — Count workdays between two dates (excludes weekends)

SQL — Date Differences by Database

Database	Days Since Example
SQL Server	DATEDIFF(day, '2020-01-31', GETDATE())
MySQL	DATEDIFF(NOW(), '2020-01-31')
PostgreSQL	DATE_PART('day', NOW() - '2020-01-31'::DATE)
SQLite	JULIANDAY('now') - JULIANDAY('2020-01-31')
Oracle	SYSDATE - TO_DATE('31-JAN-2020','DD-MON-YYYY')

JavaScript / Python

// JavaScript

const daysSince = Math.floor((new Date() - new Date('2020-01-31')) / (1000 * 60 * 60 * 24));

# Python

from datetime import date

days_since = (date.today() - date(2020, 1, 31)).days

Fun Facts: What Does the Number Mean?

Once you have your days count, here are some fun ways to contextualise it:

📅

Weekends

Divide days by 7 and multiply by 2. E.g. 1,000 days = ~286 weekends of rest or adventure.

💰

Paydays

Divide days by 30.44 for monthly paydays. E.g. 1,000 days = ~33 monthly paydays.

🎓

School Terms

Divide days by 65 (UK term ~13 weeks). E.g. 1,000 days = ~15 school terms.

🌙

Lunar Cycles

Divide days by 29.53 (one lunar month). E.g. 1,000 days = ~34 full moons.

UK School Term Dates — Planning Reference

UK school year typically runs from early September to late July, split into three terms with half-term breaks. Exact dates vary by local authority and school, but the structure is consistent:

Term	Approximate Dates	Duration
Autumn Term	Early Sep – Christmas	~15 weeks (inc. Oct half-term)
Spring Term	Jan – Easter	~13 weeks (inc. Feb half-term)
Summer Term	Easter – Late July	~14 weeks (inc. May half-term)

The total school year is approximately 190 teaching days (38 weeks). Schools must be open for at least this number of days under the Education Act 1996. Local authorities set exact dates; most publish them on their websites 12–18 months in advance.

✓ Instant Calculation

✓ Handles Leap Years

✓ UK Historical Events

✓ Always Free

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days since Brexit?

The UK formally left the European Union on 31 January 2020 at 11:00 PM GMT. From that date to February 2026, that is approximately 2,212 days (around 6 years). Use the calculator above with start date 31/01/2020 to get the exact current count.

How many days since the first COVID lockdown?

The first UK COVID-19 lockdown was announced on 23 March 2020. As of February 2026, that is approximately 2,160 days (nearly 5 years 11 months). Enter 23/03/2020 as the start date in the calculator for the exact figure.

What is the difference between UK and US date formats?

The UK uses DD/MM/YYYY (day first). The US uses MM/DD/YYYY (month first). This means 01/04/2026 is 1 April in the UK but 4 January in the US. ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD) is the unambiguous international standard used in software and international contracts.

How do I calculate days between dates in Excel?

In Excel: =B1-A1 (format result as a number) gives days between dates. Use =DATEDIF(A1,B1,"D") for an explicit days count, =DATEDIF(A1,B1,"M") for months, and =DATEDIF(A1,B1,"Y") for years. TODAY()-A1 gives days since a historical date. NETWORKDAYS(A1,B1) counts working days excluding weekends.

How do I add days to a date?

Use the Date Arithmetic section of this calculator. Enter your base date, the number of days to add or subtract, select the operation, and click Calculate. This is useful for calculating payment terms (30/60/90 days), UK employment notice periods, visa expiry dates, and tenancy notice periods.

How many weekdays are in a year?

A standard year has 261–262 weekdays (Monday to Friday) before accounting for bank holidays. After subtracting the 8 bank holidays in England and Wales, the effective working days per year is around 253. In a leap year this can be 262 or 263 weekdays. Scotland gets 9 bank holidays; Northern Ireland gets 10.

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Days Since Calculator