TODAY

Returns the current date

TODAY()

returns the current date (as a date-time serial number). TODAY is updated at every recalculation, for instance if a cell is modified.

TODAY()

when calculated at say 12 noon on 1 Dec 2021 returns 1 Dec 2021.

Tracking Project Deadlines

Imagine you're managing several projects, and you need a quick way to see how many days are left until each project's deadline.

Scenario: You have a list of projects with their respective deadlines. You want to calculate:

Table:

	Project Name	Deadline	Today's Date	Days Remaining	Status
	A	B	C	D	E
1	Website Redesign	8/15/2025	8/28/2025	-13	Overdue
2	Marketing Campaign	8/1/2025	8/28/2025	-27	Overdue
3	Product Launch	9/20/2025	8/28/2025	23	On Track
4	Client Report	8/7/2025	8/28/2025	-21	Overdue
5	Q3 Financial Review	7/30/2025	8/28/2025	-29	Overdue

Explanation of Formulas:

Cell C1 (TODAY()):
- Enter the formula TODAY() in cell C1. This cell will always display August 4, 2025, if you open this spreadsheet today. If you open it tomorrow, it will automatically update to August 5, 2025, and so on.
Days Remaining (e.g., in Cell D1 for "Website Redesign"):
- Formula: =B1-C1
- B1: Refers to the "Deadline" date for the specific project.
- C1: Refers to the cell containing the TODAY() function.
- Result: This formula calculates the difference in days between the deadline and today's date. A positive number means days remaining, a negative number means the deadline has passed.
Status (e.g., in Cell E1 for "Website Redesign"):
- Formula: IF(D1<0,"Overdue",IF(D1<=7,"Due Soon","On Track"))
- IF(D1<0,"Overdue"): If the "Days Remaining" (D1) is less than 0 (i.e., negative), the status is "Overdue".
- IF(D1<=7,"Due Soon"): If the previous condition is false (meaning D1 is 0 or positive), then check if D1 is less than or equal to 7. If true, the status is "Due Soon".
- "On Track": If neither of the above conditions is met (meaning D1 is greater than 7), the status is "On Track".