# Date and time format

> Choose the order dates are written and read in, 12 or 24 hour time, and the first day of the week for your club.

Canonical: https://www.clubpal.app/docs/general/date-and-time-format
Section: General

Your club has its own date format, time format and first day of the week. Members and admins type dates in this format, date pickers show it, and your member imports are read in it.

## Where to set it

Go to **Admin > General Settings**. The three settings sit under **Time zone**:

| Setting | Options |
|---|---|
| **Date format** | Day/Month/Year (23/05/2026), Month/Day/Year (05/23/2026) or Year-Month-Day (2026-05-23) |
| **Time format** | 24 hour (18:30) or 12 hour (6:30 PM) |
| **Weeks start on** | Monday or Sunday |

When a new club is set up, the admin is asked to confirm the club's time zone and date format before carrying on. The same three settings appear on that page.

## The defaults

Until you change them, the settings follow your club's country:

| Country | Date format | Time format | Weeks start on |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Month/Day/Year | 12 hour | Sunday |
| Canada | Year-Month-Day | 12 hour | Sunday |
| Everywhere else | Day/Month/Year | 24 hour | Monday |

## What follows the setting

- **Date fields and date pickers** across the site show the club's format, and their placeholders say what to type (for example `mm/dd/yyyy`).
- **Typed dates** are read in the club's format. A date that cannot exist in that order, such as `23/05/2026` in a Month/Day/Year club, is refused with a message saying which format to use, rather than being moved to another day. A date that can exist, such as `03/05/2026`, is read in the club's order.
- **Date and time pickers** use the club's time format.
- **Calendars in date pickers**, including the ones for cancelling a booking and booking a facility, start the week on the club's first day.
- **Answers to custom Date [profile fields](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/membership/profile-fields)** are shown in the club's format on member pages, in the members table and its exports, and in the emails that list answers.
- **[Member imports](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/membership/member-import#dates)** read every date column in the club's format.
- **Dates and times on every page and in emails** follow the club's date and time format. Dates written with the month's name follow the club's order too: a Day/Month/Year club sees `23 May 2026`, and a Month/Day/Year or Year-Month-Day club sees `May 23, 2026`. Audit log entry names are the exception: they write dates as `2026-05-23`, whatever the club's format.
- **Calendars**, for sessions, events and facility bookings, show times in the club's time format and start the week on the club's first day.
- **The admin date range filter**: its label shows dates in the club's format, and its calendars start the week on the club's first day.
- **The hour lists** for session and event times follow the time format: `00` to `23` on the 24 hour clock, `12 AM` to `11 PM` on the 12 hour one.

## Changing the format later

You can change the date format at any time. Dates already saved are not affected: ClubPal stores them in a way that does not depend on the format, so they are simply shown and entered in the new one. Text already written with a date in it, such as payment descriptions and membership notes, keeps the format it was written in.

Before a member import, check that the dates in your file are in the same format as your club's. See [Dates in your file](https://www.clubpal.app/docs/membership/member-import#dates).