Nth Weekday of a Month Calculator
Find the exact date of, say, the 3rd Thursday of a month or the last Friday — the rule most floating holidays use.
How it works
first target = 1 + ((weekday − weekday of the 1st + 7) mod 7) · nth = first + (n − 1) × 7 · last = last day − ((weekday of last − weekday + 7) mod 7)
The date is found from the first of the month: the offset to the first matching weekday is a modulo-7 step, and each further occurrence is exactly seven days on. The "last" option walks back from the final day of the month instead. This is the rule behind most floating observances — the fourth Thursday of November for US Thanksgiving, the second Sunday of May for Mother's Day — and behind recurring meetings like "the first Monday of every month".
Worked example
The 4th Thursday of November 2026: 1 Nov 2026 is a Sunday, so the first Thursday is the 5th, and adding three weeks gives the 26th — Thursday, 26 Nov 2026.
Frequently asked questions
What if there is no fifth occurrence?
Most months have only four of each weekday. When a fifth does not exist the calculator says so — pick "Last" to get the final one, which is sometimes the fourth and sometimes the fifth.
How is "last" different from "fourth"?
When a weekday occurs five times in a month, "last" is the fifth; when it occurs four times, "last" equals the fourth. Holidays like Memorial Day (last Monday of May) rely on this.
Can I use this for recurring meetings?
Yes — set the weekday and occurrence once and change only the month or year to find each future date, for example the first Monday of every month.
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This calculator is for educational purposes. Double-check important results before acting on them.