Excel MONTH Function
The MONTH function in Microsoft Excel extracts the month component from a date as a number from 1 to 12. It is useful for analyzing or grouping date-based data by month.
Key Topics
- Overview of MONTH Function
- MONTH Function Syntax
- Implementation Examples
- Sample Dataset
- Key Takeaways
Overview of MONTH Function
The MONTH function returns the month of a given date, enabling easy extraction for calculations or reporting. It is often used with other date functions for custom date manipulations or pivot table grouping.
MONTH Function Syntax
The syntax for the MONTH function is as follows:
Syntax: =MONTH(serial_number)
Parameters:
- serial_number: The date or cell reference containing a date (required).
Implementation Examples
Below are examples of how to use the MONTH function in different scenarios.
Example 1: =MONTH(B2) — Extracts the month from the date in B2.
Example 2: =MONTH(TODAY()) — Returns the month of the current date.
Example 3: =MONTH(DATE(2025, 6, 3)) — Returns 6, the month from 06/03/2025.
Sample Dataset (Excel-style View)
Below is a demo dataset styled like Excel, showing how the MONTH function can be used to extract the month from sales dates.
| A | B | C | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sale ID | Sale Date | Month of Sale |
| 2 | SAL001 | 01/15/2025 | =MONTH(B2) |
| 3 | SAL002 | 02/10/2025 | =MONTH(B3) |
| 4 | SAL003 | 03/22/2025 | =MONTH(B4) |
| 5 | SAL004 | 04/05/2025 | =MONTH(B5) |
| 6 | SAL005 | 05/30/2025 | =MONTH(B6) |
Note: In the dataset, column C uses =MONTH(B2) to extract the month from the sale date in B2. The formula is applied to each row to show the month of each sale.
Key Takeaways
- The MONTH function extracts the month (1–12) from a date.
- It works with dates, TODAY(), or DATE function outputs.
- It is useful for grouping or analyzing date-based data by month.
- Common uses include monthly sales reports or pivot table grouping.
- The sample dataset demonstrates MONTH applied to extract sale months.