=TODAY() returns the current date in the Numbers file’s time zone, with the time set to midnight (12:00 a.m.). It has no arguments, but the empty parentheses are required. The displayed date refreshes when you open the file or change a table; it is not a permanent creation-date stamp. Source: Apple’s official TODAY page, English help 15.4, accessed 2026-10-11.

The function is useful for dashboards that ask whether a due date has arrived, whether a project is overdue or how many calendar days have elapsed since a start date. Because the result is tied to the file’s time zone and update events, it should not be used without a deliberate snapshot policy in an irreversible ledger, audit log or historical transaction timestamp.

=TODAY()

Return type: date/time value representing the current date at midnight in the file’s time zone. Formatting may show just a date. A formula returning a date/time object is not the same thing as text that looks like a date. Apple’s documentation explicitly says changes to a table or reopening the file trigger refreshes. It does not promise a fixed-minute background recalculation cadence in an idle workbook.

Create a Numbers table named DeadlineAudit. Give row 1 headers. In A2:A6 enter these dates through numeric DATE formulas so no ambiguous date strings are parsed; in B use real task labels. The expected values below concern the fixed inputs, not a claim about what TODAY() will return when you read this page.

1. In C1 name the column Days since due. In C2 enter =DAYS(TODAY(),A2); fill down to C6. A positive number means the due date was before the file’s current date; zero means the same date; a negative number means a future date. Do not assert a single permanent expected result for this dynamic formula.
2. In D1 name a column Status. In D2 enter =IF(DAYS(TODAY(),A2)>0,"Overdue",IF(DAYS(TODAY(),A2)=0,"Due today","Upcoming")), then fill down. The expected classification follows the sign of the calendar-date difference, and is a workflow policy rather than Apple’s built-in status label.
3. To test arithmetic independently, substitute a controlled reference date for TODAY: =DAYS(DATE(2024,1,8),DATE(2024,1,1)) is expected 7; =DAYS(DATE(2024,1,1),DATE(2024,1,8)) is expected -7. This checks date arithmetic without pretending to run TODAY on a particular device.
4. If you want to see a numeric weekday, =WEEKDAY(TODAY(),2) is expected to produce an integer from 1 (Monday) to 7 (Sunday). The exact value depends on the file’s current date; it is not a fixed sample answer.

For reports that must be reproducible later, keep an As-of date in a separate date cell, entered manually or frozen as a value, and reference it in place of TODAY() when calculating overdue records. This distinguishes an as-of report from a live dashboard whose results legitimately change over time. If a saved record must preserve an authoritative timestamp, consider capturing it in a process designed for permanent audit records; a volatile-looking formula is not such a record.

Turning TODAY into a fixed snapshot

Apple documents selecting the formula cell, choosing Edit > Copy, then pasting with Edit > Paste Formula Results to keep the displayed result as unchanging text. Because this operation can change the result’s data type, check whether subsequent calculations need an actual date/time value; do not assume the pasted text is automatically suitable for arithmetic in every locale.

The official source specifies file-dependent time zones, not always the viewing collaborator’s local time:

• Local macOS file: the saved file follows the Mac’s Date & Time settings at the last save.
• Local iPhone/iPad file: the opened/saved file follows the device’s Date & Time settings at open or save.
• iCloud file: initial iCloud file-creation settings supply the zone; opening and saving in a local app can reset the zone to that device.
• Shared collaborators: the zone remains aligned to the iCloud settings where the file was initially shared unless it is unshared and saved locally.

These are summary conditions from Apple’s TODAY help, not universal statements about daylight-saving conversions of imported dates. In multi-location projects, test what date the shared file actually considers ’today’, especially near midnight.

• Date does not change every minute: Apple specifies update upon opening the file or changing a table; it does not claim a timer-driven refresh on every clock tick.
• Wrong ’today’ near midnight: Check the file’s time zone and sharing history, not only the viewer’s current computer clock.
• Formula appears with an error: Confirm =TODAY() includes parentheses, with no quoted text argument or accidental extra separators.
• Cell shows a date and time unexpectedly: TODAY has a midnight time component; adjust the cell display format, not the formula’s meaning.
• Expected an audit stamp to stay unchanged: Use Apple’s paste-results method or a separately controlled static reference date, not a live TODAY formula.
• Dates render month/day in another order: Local display and text parsing rules differ; use numeric DATE inputs or date-formatted source cells for testing.
• A reference points outside the table: Use the formula editor to select the correct DeadlineAudit column; do not translate Excel Sheet!Cell syntax mechanically.

NOW() provides the date and current time, while TODAY() represents midnight of the current date. Excel and Google Sheets have similarly named functions, but calculation, time-zone ownership and refresh timing differ by application and file-sharing system. The details above are specific to Apple’s documentation; the compatibility statement is conceptual only and is not a verified behavior matrix for all software versions.

In an English-language Numbers document, begin with = and use the comma-separated arguments shown in Apple’s Functions Help. If your device is configured to use a comma as the decimal separator, Apple’s instructions say to separate formula arguments using semicolons. Example: =WEEKDAY(D2;2) rather than =WEEKDAY(D2,2) in such a locale. Quotation marks around a date string do not remove local date-parsing ambiguity; construct examples from numeric DATE(year,month,day) inputs or genuine date-formatted cells instead.

Numbers is table-centred. When the formula is in the same table, D2 identifies that table’s cell; when referring to a different table, select the actual source cell in the formula editor so Numbers inserts the correct table-qualified reference. Do not silently assume Excel’s Sheet1!D2 syntax applies. The expected outputs below use an English Functions Help 15.4 reference path consulted 2026-10-11, not a claim that these functions first appeared in app release 15.4. Apple describes date/time functions in shared Formulas and Functions Help; this research did not establish a minimum Numbers version on macOS, iOS, iPadOS or iCloud. Native verification on each intended app/platform/version is pending.

Testing note: This guide uses documentation-derived examples, not results observed in Apple Numbers.

• Apple Numbers — function documentation
• Apple NOW
• Apple WEEKDAY
• Apple Functions overview

Verification status: Official documentation checked; example outcomes were independently reasoned or arithmetically checked where applicable. Not executed in Apple Numbers.

• No genuine Apple Numbers screenshots are included; this guide does not use mock application images.