Work experience calculator: add up every job in years, months and days
This work experience calculator turns a list of jobs into one number. Enter the start and end date of each job and it gives your total experience in years, months and days, plus the same figure as total days, decimal years and months. It is the quick way to answer “how many years of experience do I have?” for a CV, an application form or a visa file.
Real careers are not tidy, so the calculator handles the awkward parts. Jobs that overlap (a notice period spent in the new job, a part-time role next to a full-time one) are counted once. The gaps between jobs are listed with their length, which is what an experience calculator with gap search is after. A job with no end date counts up to today, or to a date you choose.
How to use the Work Experience Calculator
- Type an employer name if you like, then pick the start and end date of the first job.
- Press Add another job for each further role. Leave the end date empty for a job you still have.
- Keep Count both the first and the last day ticked for the usual service-record method, or untick it to use end date minus start date.
- Keep Count overlapping jobs once ticked so overlapping days are not added twice.
- Read the total at the top, check the table of jobs and gaps, then copy the summary.
Work Experience Calculator features
Any number of jobs
Add or remove rows; the total updates as you type.
Overlaps counted once
Jobs that share days are merged, with the overlap shown, or switch merging off to see a simple sum.
Gap finder
The time between one job ending and the next starting, in years, months and days.
Open-ended jobs
An empty end date counts to today or to the date you pick, so you can test “experience as on” a deadline.
Several views of the total
Years-months-days, total days, decimal years (days ÷ 365.25) and months.
How the total is worked out
For each job the calculator counts whole calendar months from the start date, then the days left over. Starting on 2 July 2018 and ending on 31 March 2021, counting the last day, gives 2 years, 8 months and 30 days. Jobs are then sorted by start date and any that overlap or touch are merged, so a day is never counted twice unless you switch merging off.
The merged pieces are added: years to years, months to months, days to days. Because months are different lengths, the days are then carried at 30 days = 1 month and 12 months = 1 year. This is a common convention for service records, but it is a convention: the total days figure is exact and does not depend on it. Decimal years divide the total days by 365.25, which allows for leap years.
| Example | Dates (both days counted) | Result |
|---|---|---|
| One full year | 1 Jan 2020 – 31 Dec 2020 | 1 year (366 days) |
| Half a year | 1 Jan 2022 – 30 Jun 2022 | 6 months (181 days) |
| Both added | with a gap of 365 days between them | 1 year, 6 months (547 days) |
Both days counted or not?
Most experience letters and service books count the joining day and the last working day, so a job from 1 January to 31 December is a full year. Date-difference tools usually do not: they give 365 days for the same dates. This calculator lets you choose. If you are comparing with a figure from an employer, a bank or an immigration authority, ask which method they use. For one period only, the date difference calculator is enough; for your age, use the age calculator.
Where the total is used, and its limits
- CV and application forms that ask for “total experience in years”: use the decimal-years figure or the years-and-months line.
- Gratuity and service benefits depend on continuous service with one employer, which is a legal test, not just a date sum; try the gratuity calculator for that.
- Skilled-migration and visa points often count only paid, skilled work in a set period, and some ignore part-time work. Use the table here as a worksheet and check the official rule.
- Unpaid leave, career breaks and part-time hours are not weighted: every day inside a job counts in full.
Work Experience Calculator FAQ
How do I calculate total work experience in years and months?
Add every job’s start and end date to the list. The calculator counts calendar months and leftover days for each job, merges overlaps and shows the total in years, months and days.
How is experience calculated when two jobs overlap?
The overlapping days are counted once. For example, a job from April to September 2022 that overlaps another job from January to June 2022 adds only the three months that are not already counted.
How do I find the gap between two jobs?
The table lists every gap between the end of one job and the start of the next, with its length in years, months and days and the total of all gaps.
Should the last day be included?
Most service records include both the joining day and the last day. Keep the option ticked for that, or untick it for end date minus start date.
How do I calculate experience if I still work there?
Leave the end date empty. The job is counted up to today, or up to the “count up to” date if you enter one, for example the closing date of an application.
Why is the total in months different from my employer’s figure?
Employers and authorities round differently, for example by completed months only or by 30-day months. The total days figure is exact, so compare that.
Is my data stored?
No. The dates are used in your browser to do the sum and are not sent anywhere.