Free calculator

LDS Missionary Countdown Calculator

Calculate exactly how much of a mission has been completed and how many days remain. Enter two dates for days served, days remaining, percentage complete, the halfway date and the next milestone — then download a shareable countdown card for the family. Free, no account, and everything is worked out in your browser.

Mission dates

Starts on an example: a mission beginning today and running twenty-four months. Change either date for your own.

Mission start date

The day they entered the field (MTC entry, if that is what you count from).

Expected return date

Use the exact date if you have it. Otherwise fill it from a common mission length below.

Fill the return date from a common mission length:

Mission lengths vary by assignment. These are shortcuts, not official durations.

Missionary details (optional)

These personalise the countdown card you can download or share. They are filled with an example name and a real mission from our directory — replace them with your own, or clear them entirely.

Missionary name

Mission or serving location

Your missionary details stay in your browser and aren’t uploaded to Missionary Tracker. The dates, the name and the image are all worked out on your own device.

Enter a mission start date and expected return date to see days served, days remaining and progress.

Know another missionary family who would find this useful? Share the calculator with them — it is free, works in any browser, and needs no account.

Want this countdown automatically updated on your phone?

Missionary Tracker keeps the same numbers current every day and shares them with everyone following the missionary’s profile.

Get Missionary Tracker

Want a printable countdown?

Turn the mission into a country or state map with one numbered box for every day, then download the finished PDF free.

Create a Missionary Countdown Map

Create a Shareable Missionary Countdown

The calculator doubles as a missionary countdown generator. Once the dates produce a result, a countdown card appears with the mission progress on it — ready to save or send to the people who keep asking how long is left.

Enter the mission start date and the expected return date.
Add the missionary’s name and mission if you want them on the card. Both are optional.
Generate their mission progress — days served, days remaining and the percentage complete.
Download or share the countdown with family, or copy the link so they can make their own.

The countdown image is 1080 × 1350 pixels, which suits Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook and a family group chat without being re-cropped. It is drawn on your device, so the missionary details you type never leave your browser.

How the calculation works

The maths is deliberately simple, which is why it is worth getting the inputs right rather than the formula:

Total mission days — the number of whole days between the start date and the expected return date.
Days served — the number of days from the start date up to today.
Days remaining — total days minus days served.
Percentage complete — days served divided by total mission days.
Halfway date — the start date plus half the total mission length.

Months are approximate. A calendar month is not a fixed number of days, so the “approximate months” figures use an average month of 30.44 days — close enough to be useful, and not something to quote exactly.

Choosing the start date

Most families count from the day the missionary entered the MTC, since mission calls and release dates are usually described that way. Some prefer the day they arrived in the field. Either works — pick one and use it consistently, so the countdown you share with relatives matches the one they already have in their head.

Expected return dates and mission lengths

Mission lengths differ by assignment. Full-time missions are commonly around 24 months for elders and 18 months for sisters, and senior couple missions vary considerably. Because of that, this calculator asks for the actual dates rather than assuming a duration; the quick-fill buttons are only a shortcut when you do not have the exact date to hand. For anything official, the Church’s own missionary information is the place to check.

Why the date can change

A release date is an expectation. Assignments get adjusted, medical circumstances come up, visa timelines shift, and decisions made by the mission office or the Church can move a homecoming by days or by longer. Nothing here should be treated as a commitment about when someone will be home — it is a planning tool, and it is worth updating when the official date changes.

Keep the countdown going

A one-off calculation answers today’s question. If you would rather not do it again next month, the app keeps the missionary countdown current on its own and shows it to everyone following the profile, alongside the map of where they are serving and any updates the family shares.

For ideas on what families actually do with a countdown, see LDS missionary countdown ideas for families, or the rundown of apps missionary families use for countdowns, maps, photos and updates.

Calculator questions

How does the missionary countdown calculator work?

It measures the number of whole days between the mission start date and the expected return date, then compares today against that span. Days served is the number of days since the start date, days remaining is the number left until the return date, and the percentage is days served divided by the total length of the mission.

Are my dates sent anywhere?

No. Every calculation runs in your browser. The dates you type are not submitted to a server and are not stored after you leave the page. The optional missionary name and mission are handled the same way, and the countdown image is drawn on your own device rather than generated on a server.

How do I make a shareable missionary countdown image?

Enter the mission start date and expected return date, then add the missionary's name and mission if you want them on the card. A countdown card appears below the results showing their progress, days served, days remaining and expected return date. Choose Download Countdown to save it as a 1080 by 1350 pixel PNG, or Share Countdown on a phone to send it straight to a group chat.

Should I count from the MTC entry date or the field arrival date?

Use whichever date your family treats as the start of the mission and stay consistent. Most families count from the day the missionary entered the MTC, because that is the date the mission call and the release date are usually framed around.

Is the expected return date guaranteed?

No. An expected release date is a plan, not a promise. Assignments, medical circumstances and decisions made by the Church or the mission office can all move it. Treat the result here as informational and update it if the official date changes.

Let the countdown update itself

Add the dates once in Missionary Tracker and everyone following the profile sees the same numbers, every day, without recalculating anything.

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Free to download on iPhone and Android.