Please Note: This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here: Calculating a Future Date.
Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated September 7, 2024)
This tip applies to Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003
If you are creating a macro to do some processing on a document, you may have a need to calculate a date at some point in the future. Using the VBA DateAdd function, this is quite easy. The function has the following syntax:
DateAdd(interval, number, startdate)
The original date that you begin with (typically today's date) is specified by the startdate argument. The interval argument indicates what you want to add to the startdate. For instance, if you want to add days, then interval would be the letter d. (This interval needs to be enclosed within quotes.) There are many different intervals you can specify:
| Interval | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| d | Day | |
| ww | Week | |
| m | Month | |
| q | Quarter | |
| yyyy | Year | |
| y | Day of year | |
| w | Weekday | |
| h | Hour | |
| n | Minute | |
| s | Second |
Finally, the number argument specifies how many intervals you want to add to the date.
As an example, let's suppose you wanted to know the date that was 90 days in the future. You could use the following:
Please Note:
This article is written for users of the following Microsoft Word versions: 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. If you are using a later version (Word 2007 or later), this tip may not work for you. For a version of this tip written specifically for later versions of Word, click here:
dFutureDate = DateAdd("d", 90, Date)
When executed, dFutureDate contains the date that is 90 days after today.
Note:
WordTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Word training. (Microsoft Word is the most popular word processing software in the world.) This tip (1476) applies to Microsoft Word 97, 2000, 2002, and 2003. You can find a version of this tip for the ribbon interface of Word (Word 2007 and later) here: Calculating a Future Date.
Learning Made Easy! Quickly teach yourself how to format, publish, and share your content using Word 2021 or Microsoft 365. With Step by Step, you set the pace, building and practicing the skills you need, just when you need them! Check out Microsoft Word Step by Step today!
If you are applying formatting from within a macro, you may want to change the alignment of various paragraphs. Here's ...
Discover MoreSo, you need to convert a number to text that is over one million? Here is a VBA macro that will convert up to 999,999,999.
Discover MoreIf you use the INCLUDEPICTURE field to add images to your document, you may love the macro in this tip. It allows you to ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Word that uses the menu interface (Word 97, Word 2000, Word 2002, or Word 2003)? This site is for you! If you use a later version of Word, visit our WordTips site focusing on the ribbon interface.
Visit the WordTips channel on YouTube
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in WordTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments