monthtodate

Month-to-date (MTD) is a time period used in finance, sales, and business analytics that runs from the first day of the current month through the present date. It provides a running subtotal for the ongoing month, in contrast to the full calendar month or the year-to-date period. MTD is commonly used to assess current-month performance and to compare it with prior months or forecasts.

To compute MTD metrics, start with the first day of the month and end on today’s date, or on the as-of date used in a report. Metrics such as revenue, expenses, units sold, or new customers are aggregated over that interval. Many dashboards automatically update MTD values as time progresses, enabling real-time or near-real-time monitoring. MTD can be contrasted with YTD (year-to-date) and QTD (quarter-to-date) metrics.

In practice, a business might report MTD revenue to understand how the month is shaping up against forecast, or to set daily run rates and targets. MTD figures are often used for monthly budgeting, cash flow planning, and performance reviews. When comparing MTD to prior periods, analysts may apply the same period-to-date filter for last month or same month last year to isolate trends, seasonal effects, or growth.

Limitations include partial-period effects, seasonality, and data latency. Because MTD covers only part of a month, it can be volatile and less indicative of annual performance. Data accuracy, time zone alignment, and business-day definitions can affect calculations.