180 days comes up more than you'd expect — in Schengen visas, employment contracts, tax deadlines, and financial rules. Here's what it actually means in each context, and how to calculate it accurately every time.
180 days from today
November 9, 2026
Today is May 13, 2026 · That's a Monday · Week 46 of 2026
Open live calculator →Not exactly — and the difference matters legally. 180 days is always precisely 180 calendar days. Six months, by contrast, can span anywhere from 181 to 184 days depending on which months are included.
For example: six months from August 31 could be interpreted as February 28 or March 2. Six months from January 31 could be June 28, 30, or July 1. Courts and contract drafters have argued over this for centuries. That is exactly why precise documents — visa rules, financial regulations, employment legislation — specify a fixed number of days rather than months. 180 days eliminates the ambiguity entirely.
This is the most common reason people search for "180 days." The Schengen Area — 29 European countries including France, Germany, Spain, and Italy — allows non-EU visitors to stay for a maximum of 90 days within any rolling 180-day window.
The 180-day window is not a calendar period like "January to June." It is a rolling window that looks backward 180 days from any given date. So on any day you are in Schengen territory, the system counts every day you have spent there in the previous 180 days. The total must not exceed 90.
As of 2025, the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) digitally records every border crossing in the Schengen Area. Manual passport stamps have been replaced with biometric data. Authorities can instantly verify compliance, and overstays are no longer "missed." Consequences include fines, deportation, and entry bans of 1–5 years depending on the country and length of overstay.
The 90/180 rule applies to citizens of non-EU, non-EEA countries travelling on short-stay (Type C) Schengen visas or visa-free under bilateral agreements. It does not apply to holders of long-stay visas (Type D) or EU residence permits. UK citizens post-Brexit are now subject to it. Indian, US, Canadian, and Australian passport holders travelling to Europe are all subject to this rule.
180 days — or its near-equivalent of six months — is a benchmark figure in employment law in several countries.
Probation periods
Many employers set 180-day probation. Statutory rights (redundancy pay, unfair dismissal protection) often kick in once this period ends.
Notice periods
Some contracts require 180 days' written notice before termination, particularly in senior executive or fixed-term agreements.
Sick pay windows
Employee sick leave entitlements are often calculated over a rolling 180-day window — particularly in the US and EU.
Non-compete clauses
Restrictive covenants commonly run for 90 or 180 days post-employment. Enforceability varies by jurisdiction.
180 days appears throughout commercial contracts as a deadline, review window, or guarantee period.
| Context | How 180 days is used |
|---|---|
| Construction contracts | Defects liability periods often run 180 days from practical completion |
| Software licences | Maintenance and update obligations may last 180 days post-delivery |
| Payment terms | Some jurisdictions cap trade credit at 180 days (e.g. EU Late Payment Directive) |
| Product warranties | Consumer electronics and appliances frequently carry 180-day limited warranties |
| Lease agreements | Break clauses and lease renewals may require 180 days' advance notice |
| Dispute resolution | Arbitration windows and settlement offers often expire after 180 days |
Tax residency, capital gains rules, and regulatory deadlines frequently hinge on 180-day thresholds.
Many countries use a 183-day rule (not 180) for tax residency — but several use 180 days, and the two are often confused. The key principle is the same: if you spend more than this threshold in a country within a tax year, you may be considered a tax resident and liable for local income tax on worldwide earnings. Always verify the specific figure for the country in question.
Under SEC rules, certain financial instruments, lockup periods, and restricted stock agreements use 180-day windows. FINRA regulations for IPO lockups, for example, commonly run 180 days from the IPO date — after which early investors can sell their shares.
In a 1031 like-kind exchange, a property seller has exactly 180 days from the date of sale to complete the purchase of a replacement property. Miss the deadline by a single day and the entire tax deferral is lost. This makes accurate date calculation genuinely high-stakes.
The simplest method: use the live 180-day calculator on this site. For manual calculation:
Example: Starting May 13, 2026 → 18 days left in May = 162 days remaining → June (30) = 132 → July (31) = 101 → August (31) = 70 → September (30) = 40 → October (31) = 9 → November 9. Result: November 9, 2026.
For quick lookups, here are pre-calculated 180-day dates for the most common anchor dates in 2026.
| Start date | 180 days later | Day of week |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 2026 | June 30, 2026 | Tuesday |
| February 1, 2026 | July 31, 2026 | Friday |
| March 1, 2026 | August 28, 2026 | Friday |
| April 1, 2026 | September 28, 2026 | Monday |
| May 1, 2026 | October 28, 2026 | Wednesday |
| May 13, 2026 (today) | November 9, 2026 | Monday |
| June 1, 2026 | November 28, 2026 | Saturday |
| July 1, 2026 | December 28, 2026 | Monday |
| August 1, 2026 | January 28, 2027 | Thursday |
| September 1, 2026 | February 28, 2027 | Sunday |
| October 1, 2026 | March 31, 2027 | Wednesday |
| November 1, 2026 | April 30, 2027 | Friday |
| December 1, 2026 | May 30, 2027 | Saturday |
Is 180 days the same as 6 months?
Not exactly. 180 days is always precisely 180 calendar days. Six months ranges from 181 to 184 days depending on which months are included. Legal documents use 180 days specifically because it is unambiguous.
What is the Schengen 90/180-day rule?
Non-EU visitors to the Schengen Area (29 European countries) can stay a maximum of 90 days within any rolling 180-day window. The window is counted backwards from any given date. Overstaying triggers fines, deportation, or multi-year entry bans.
How many business days is 180 calendar days?
180 calendar days contains approximately 128 business days (Monday–Friday, excluding weekends). Conversely, 180 business days from today (May 13, 2026) equals approximately January 20, 2027 in calendar terms.
Why do contracts and regulations use 180 days instead of 6 months?
Because "six months" is ambiguous — the exact date it produces depends on the starting month. 180 days always produces the same unambiguous result regardless of the calendar. This precision matters enormously in legal and financial contexts where a single day can change the outcome.
What is 180 days ago from today?
180 days before May 13, 2026 was November 14, 2025 (a Friday). Use the date calculator to find any past or future date.
Does 180 days include the start date?
In most legal contexts, Day 1 is the day after the trigger event — not the trigger date itself. However, for Schengen purposes, both your entry day and exit day count as full days. Always check the specific rule that applies to your situation.