date

DATE_ADD()

Adds an interval to a date or timestamp.

Description

DATE_ADD shifts a date or timestamp forward by a given interval, add a day, a month, a year, and so on. It's the safe, calendar-aware way to move dates around (handling month lengths and leap years) instead of adding raw numbers.

Syntax

DATE_ADD(date, INTERVAL '1 month')
DATE_ADD(date, INTERVAL '7 days')

Parameters

Name	Description	Optional
date	The starting date/timestamp.	No
interval	The interval to add (e.g. `INTERVAL '1 year'`).	No

Return Type

Returns the same type as the input (DATE stays DATE, TIMESTAMP stays TIMESTAMP).

Examples

Loading playground environment...

DATE_ADD vs subtraction

To subtract, use DATE_SUB or a negative interval: DATE_ADD(date, INTERVAL '-1 month').

Common Mistakes

Adding raw numbers. hire_date + 30 is not the same as + INTERVAL '30 days'; use intervals for correct calendar math.
Leap years. Intervals handle Feb 29 correctly; raw arithmetic doesn't.
Type mismatch. Mixing a DATE with a timestamp interval can change the result type.

See also: DATE_SUB, DATEDIFF, DATE_TRUNC.