Military Time Converter

Confused about how to write down military time, or how a specific time of day would be written in the military time format? This tool can help you convert military time into standard time, and vice versa.

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MILITARY TIME CONVERTER
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MILITARY TIME CONVERTER
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What is military time?

Military time is a US term used to describe a timekeeping method otherwise known as the 24-hour clock.

This timekeeping standard is widely used around the world, except in the US and several other countries, such as the following:

The use of the 24-hour clock format is also encouraged by ISO 8601 international standards — established with the intention to provide clear and specific ways to communicate date and time.

USA Timekeeping Law

How is military time different from standard US time?

The standard US timekeeping method uses the 12-hour clock.

This clock splits the day into two blocks of time:

So, here are a couple of examples to illustrate the standard format used in the US to show time:

We see here that the US standard time uses the abbreviations “a.m.” and “PM” to signify time before noon and time after noon, respectively.

These abbreviations come from Latin terms:

On the other hand, the 24-hour clock uses a unique number for each hour of the day, starting at 12:00 AM or midnight. But, unlike standard US time, by using the 24-hour clock, we would indicate midnight as 00:00.

Next, the times between midnight and 12:59 PM in the 24-hour clock format are the same as in the 12-hour format, with the exception of the AM/PM abbreviations, which are omitted in the former.

The count of hours after 12:59 PM is simply continued, so that 1:00 PM equals 13:00, 6:24 PM equals 18:24, and so on.

Where and why is military time used?

In the US, the 24-hour clock is used in specialist areas, such as:

The reasons behind the use of military time in these areas include the following:

DCAA Timekeeping Requirements

Difference between the 24-hour clock and military time formats

Military time slightly differs from the 24-hour clock used in other fields. 

Namely, US military forces, as well as allied English-speaking military forces, make the following changes to the standard 24-hour format:

24-HOUR CLOCKMILITARY TIME
01:45 0145
14:22 1422
22:07 2207

Is midnight 0000 or 2400?

Simple answer — it’s either. Both ways of formatting are correct.  

However, there might be a subtle difference in interpretation. 

Namely, times from 00:00 to 00:01 can be used to signify the beginning, or more precisely — the first minute of a day.

On the other hand, times between 2359 and 2400 represent the last minute of a given day.

How do I convert military time?

There are a few ways you can do this:

Step-by-step military time conversion 

Step-by-step conversion is the most time consuming way of converting military time.

However, if you're interested in time value formatting, following are the instructions to manual military to standard time conversion, as well as the reverse.

From standard time to military time

To convert standard to military time, take the following steps:

From military time to standard time

There are several rules you need to follow when converting military to standard time:

Military time to regular time chart

Finally, a simple chart can help you get a clear picture of the differences between military and standard time.

The chart below gives you a blueprint you can use to convert military time to standard time, as well as the other way round.

MILITARY TIMESTANDARD TIME
0100 1:00 AM
0200 2:00 AM
0300 3:00 AM
0400 4:00 AM
0500 5:00 AM
0600 6:00 AM
0700 7:00 AM
0800 8:00 AM
0900 9:00 AM
1000 10:00 AM
1100 11:00 AM
1200 12:00 PM || NOON
1300 1:00 PM
1400 2:00 PM
1500 3:00 PM
1600 4:00 PM
1700 5:00 PM
1800 6:00 PM
1900 7:00 PM
2000 8:00 PM
2100 9:00 PM
2200 10:00 PM
2300 11:00 PM
2400 or 0000 12:00 AM || MIDNIGHT

Use any timekeeping format to track time with Clockify

Converting between different timekeeping formats can quickly become confusing — especially if you’re looking to track the time you've spent working.

Do you enter time in the 12-hour format?

Do you enter time in the 24-hour format?

Can you play it simple and enter military time in a time tracker?

Luckily, you can use any formatting method to manually add time in Clockify.

This means that Clockify's time tracker can recognize both military and standard time, as well as different variations of both of these methods.

For example, you can:

As an addition, Clockify's profile settings allow you to switch between the 12-hour and 24-hour format, allowing you to efficiently track time across professions that require a specific timekeeping format, as well as keep to international timekeeping standards.

Switch between the 12-hour and 24-hour format