This tutorial will demonstrate how to add (or subtract) years to a date in Excel and Google Sheets. 

Add Years to a Date

The easiest way to add years to a date is with the EDATE Function. The EDATE Function adds a specified number of months to a date. By adding months in multiplies of 12 (12,24,36, etc.) you can add years to a date.

Add 1 Year to a Date

This example will add 1 year to a date:

Add 5 Years to a Date

This example will add 5 years to a date:

Subtract Years From a Date

To subtract years from a date, simply enter a negative number of months into the EDATE Function:

Add Years with DATE Function

Another way to add years to a date is with the YEAR, MONTH, DAY and DATE Functions:

The DATE Function creates a date using a specified Year, Month, and Day.  We populate the day function with the current date’s year + a number of years, month and day using the YEAR, MONTH, and DAY Functions.

Subtract Years with DATE Function

Of course the same logic applies with the subtracting dates:

Add Years – First Day of New Year

To add years to a date and return the first day of the calculated year, you can also use the DATE Function:

Add / Subtract Years in Google Sheets

The above examples work exactly the same in Google Sheets as in Excel: