Birthday countdown: how many days until your birthday?
Pick your birthday to see how many days are left and the day of the week it falls on. Add your birth year to find the day of the week you were born and your age in days.
Pick your birthday
Choose a month and day to see how many days are left. Add the year to see the day of the week you were born, your age in days and your golden birthday.
How does the birthday countdown work?
It counts the days from today to your next birthday, using the date on your own device. On your birthday it shows zero. It is one of our party planning tools.
- Pick your birthday. Choose the month and day.
- Add the year if you like. You then also see the weekday you were born, your age in days and your golden birthday.
- Read the live countdown. Days, hours and minutes, the weekday of your next birthday and your next half birthday.
- Share it. Copy a countdown link with just the date and a first name.
The countdown leaves out zodiac signs and birthstones. For famous birthdays and what happened in your birth year, open the born-in party kits.
Worked examples: three birthdays
Each example is worked out as if today were Sunday, November 1, 2026.
- A birthday countdown for kids: a 6-year-old born March 3, 2020. The next birthday is Wednesday, March 3, 2027, 122 days away, or 122 sleeps. They were born on a Tuesday.
- A February 29, 2004 birthday. In 2027 there is no February 29, so the countdown runs to Sunday, February 28, 2027 (or March 1 if you prefer), 119 days away, when they turn 23. The next real February 29 is Tuesday, February 29, 2028.
- A 40th on December 18. Born December 18, 1986, the big day is Friday, December 18, 2026, 47 days away. Send the invitations by Friday, November 27, 2026, three weeks before.
What day of the week was I born?
Enter your full birth date above, with the year, and the countdown shows the weekday. It works for any date in the Gregorian calendar, the one in use today, which repeats exactly every 400 years.
To check by hand, find a date you know the weekday of, then count forward. The same date moves one weekday later each year, or two when a February 29 falls in between. For a full mental method, see On what day of the week were you born? by Burkard Polster and Marty Ross.
An old rhyme gives each day a meaning, starting “Monday’s child is fair of face”, but it is folklore, not a forecast.
What’s the rarest day of the week to be born?
Sunday. In US birth records from 1994 to 2014, an average Sunday saw about 7,610 births, 31.6% fewer than an average day. Tuesday was the busiest day, with about 12,788.
Mostly, scheduling. The National Center for Health Statistics found the weekend dip is much larger for cesarean births, which are more likely to be scheduled.
| Day | US births per day | Against an average day |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 11,563 | 3.9% more |
| Tuesday | 12,788 | 14.9% more |
| Wednesday | 12,569 | 12.9% more |
| Thursday | 12,503 | 12.3% more |
| Friday | 12,304 | 10.5% more |
| Saturday | 8,593 | 22.8% fewer |
| Sunday | 7,610 | 31.6% fewer |
Want to know how common your date is too? See where your birthday ranks out of 366.
What if your birthday is February 29?
In the three years out of four with no February 29, choose February 28 or March 1, and the countdown runs to that day. It also shows when the next real February 29 comes around.
When should you send birthday party invitations?
We suggest sending birthday invitations three to four weeks before the party, with replies due about a week before; our birthday party guide explains the timing. Etiquette guides allow less notice for a casual get-together: the Emily Post Institute’s invitation timing chart gives same day to two weeks for a casual party and three to six weeks for a formal dinner. The countdown shows the date three weeks out, and our guide to choosing an RSVP deadline helps you set the reply-by date.
Plan the rest with the party planning checklist. Then browse birthday invitations that collect RSVPs for you: design free, pay when you send, from $9.99 on the Nest plan.
Can’t be there? Send an online birthday card for $4.99, scheduled for the day.
Common questions
How many days until my birthday?
Pick your month and day at the top of the page. The countdown uses today’s date on your own device and reaches zero at midnight where you are.
Do I have to give my birth year?
No. The countdown works with just the month and day. Add the year to see the day of the week you were born, your age in days and your golden birthday.
How is the half birthday worked out?
Six months after your birthday. When that month is shorter, it falls on the month’s last day, so an August 31 birthday has its half birthday on February 28, or 29 in a leap year.
Can I share my countdown?
Yes. “Copy a countdown link” gives a link with your month, day and first name only. Your birth year is never in the link.
Sources
- U.S. births 1994–2003 (CDC/NCHS) and 2000–2014 (SSA), FiveThirtyEight, licensed CC BY 4.0. Changes made: Combined the two files (1994-2003 CDC/NCHS, 2004-2014 SSA), so no year is counted twice. Averaged births per calendar date, with Feb 29 averaged over leap years only. Ranked the 366 dates.
- Births: Final Data for 2002, National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 52, No. 10, National Center for Health Statistics, December 17, 2003 (day of the week of birth).
- On what day of the week were you born?, Burkard Polster and Marty Ross, Plus Magazine, March 1, 2010.
- Invitation Timing, Emily Post Institute (no page date shown), opened October 30, 2026.