Ways to count Schengen days: spreadsheet, EU calculator or app
A spreadsheet, the European Commission’s short-stay calculator and a counter app such as Tally all count the same 90/180 rule. The differences are whether they save your trips and check future ones.
Checked against official sources on 10 November 2026. Not legal advice.
How do the three methods compare?
| Feature | Spreadsheet | EU calculator | Tally app |
|---|---|---|---|
| Counts any 180-day window | you build it | Yes | Yes |
| Last day within the limit | you build it | Yes | Yes |
| Keeps your trips for next time | Yes | No | Yes |
| Checks a new trip against later saved trips | No | No | Yes |
| Shows which days count and why | your cells | totals only | Yes |
| Works offline | Yes | once loaded | Yes |
| Counts bilateral agreements | No | No | No |
| Cost | none | none | counting free |
When does a spreadsheet work?
A spreadsheet is good if you travel rarely and like to see every cell. List each trip’s entry date and exit date, then for the date you care about, add up the days that fall within it and the 179 days before it.
You own the data and it works offline. A leave-by date needs a formula for each future day, though, and entry and exit days are easy to miscount.
What does the EU short-stay calculator do?
The European Commission publishes a short-stay calculator for the public and for border authorities. Its control mode checks whether a stay complies on a given date and shows the last day you could stay. Its planning mode shows the longest stay from a future entry date, based on the stays you enter.
It doesn’t save your trips, so you re-enter them each time. It doesn’t apply to stays under a residence permit or long-stay visa, or to visas that allow fewer than 90 days.
What does a counter app add?
Tally saves your trips, shows days left and the date to leave by, and checks whether a new stay fits or puts a later saved trip over the limit. The counter and trip check are free; Tally Planning, which finds the longest stay that keeps every saved trip within the limit, is paid.
It counts only the dates you enter, under the ordinary 90/180 rule, and it isn’t an official record.
Which one should you use?
- One trip a year: the EU calculator or the Schengen calculator on this site.
- Several trips, or a long stay coming up: an app that remembers your trips.
- Already in the area and want the official view: the EES online tool. See the Entry/Exit System.
Whichever you pick, the counting itself is in the 90/180 rule guide.
Questions
Is the EU short-stay calculator official?
It is published by the European Commission. The Commission calls it a helping tool only: it does not give you a right to stay, and border guards decide.
Which method is most accurate?
Each one counts the same rule, so each is only as accurate as the dates you enter.
Is there an official record of my days?
Since 10 April 2026 the EU’s Entry/Exit System records your entries and exits, and its online tool shows your remaining days. It doesn’t include time before that date.