About Lesson
Chapter 2: Functions to Get Today’s Date or Current Time
1. TODAY()
Purpose:
Returns the current system date. (Updates automatically.)
Syntax:
Example:
Suppose today’s date is 26-April-2025.
Â
| Â | Function | Result |
| Today | =TODAY() |
25-10-2025 |
| Yesterday | =TODAY()-1 |
24-10-2025 |
| Tomorrow | =TODAY()+1 |
26-10-2025 |
Use Case:
-
Auto-fill today’s date in attendance sheets.
-
Invoice date generation automatically.
-
Show today’s due date in reports.
Task:
| Task | Due Date | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Task-1 | 10-09-25 | Overdue |
| Task-2 | 29-10-25 | Ontrack |
| Task-3 | 05-05-25 | Overdue |
| Task-4 | 23-10-25 | Ontrack |
Â
=IF(B2<TODAY(), "Overdue", "Ontrack")
(Here B2 is the Due Date cell)
2. NOW()
Purpose:
Returns the current system date and time.
Syntax:
Example:
If now is 26-April-2025 10:35 AM:
| Formula | Result |
|---|---|
=NOW() |
26-04-2025 10:35 AM |
Use Case:
-
Timestamp when someone fills a form.
-
Record exact date and time of task submission.