Calculate days to expiration or either date using calendar, business, or trading days. The starting day is excluded; expiration is included when eligible. Holiday presets cover 2025–2027 full-day NYSE or US federal-office closures; early-close trading sessions still count. Verify the actual contract date and any newly announced closure.

Count days after the starting date through expiration.

Holiday presets cover 2025–2027 only. Confirm the actual contract expiration and last trading day with its exchange; templates are not contract schedules.

Days To Expiration Formula

The following formula is used to calculate the Days To Expiration (DTE).

DTE = ED - CD

Variables:

  • DTE is the Days To Expiration
  • ED is the expiration date of the options contract or futures contract (in days)
  • CD is the current date (in days)

To calculate the Days To Expiration, subtract the current date from the expiration date of the options contract or futures contract. This will give you the remaining time left until the contract expires. This is a critical factor in options trading as it impacts the price of an option, with options losing value as they get closer to their expiration date, a phenomenon known as time decay. Traders use DTE to make strategic decisions about when to buy or sell options.

What Are Days to Expiration?

Days to Expiration, often abbreviated as DTE, refers to the remaining time left until an options contract or futures contract expires. It is a critical factor in options trading as it impacts the price of an option, with options losing value as they get closer to their expiration date, a phenomenon known as time decay. Traders use DTE to make strategic decisions about when to buy or sell options.

How to Calculate Days To Expiration?

The following steps outline how to calculate the Days To Expiration (DTE).

  1. First, determine the expiration date of the options contract or futures contract (ED) in days.
  2. Next, determine the current date (CD) in days.
  3. Next, gather the formula from above: DTE = ED - CD.
  4. Finally, calculate the Days To Expiration (DTE).
  5. After inserting the variables and calculating the result, check your answer with the calculator above.

Example Problem : 

Use the following variables as an example problem to test your knowledge.

Expiration date (ED) = April 15, 2026

Starting date (CD) = April 1, 2026. Calendar DTE = 14 days. Business/trading counts can differ.