How to Write Military Time Correctly: Rules, Examples, and Common Mistakes
Write military time with four digits, leading zeros, and valid minute values. Learn the rules for noon, midnight, and spoken time.
Military time uses a four-digit, 24-hour clock. The first two digits are the hour from 00 through 23, and the last two are the minutes from 00 through 59. A consistently written value such as 0645 or 1845 avoids the need for AM and PM.
Rule 1: Use Four Digits
Write an hour and a minute field even when one is zero:
- 7:00 AM becomes
0700 - 9:05 AM becomes
0905 - 1:30 PM becomes
1330 - 11:59 PM becomes
2359
Leading zeros make values align in schedules and prevent 905 from being mistaken for another kind of number.
Rule 2: Do Not Add AM or PM
The hour already identifies the half of the day. Hours 00 through 11 are before noon; hour 12 is noon through 12:59 PM; hours 13 through 23 are afternoon and evening.
Write either 1830 or 6:30 PM. Do not write 1830 PM.
Rule 3: Omit the Colon in Military Style
Military notation commonly uses 1845. Civilian 24-hour notation commonly uses 18:45. They represent the same time. Follow the format required by the organization or software receiving the value.
Noon and Midnight
- Noon is
1200 - Midnight at the start of a date is
0000 - Some schedules use
2400for the end of a date
Always include the date when midnight could be ambiguous.
Converting From 12-Hour Time
For AM times from 1:00 through 11:59, keep the hour and add a leading zero if needed. For 12:xx AM, change the hour to 00. For PM times from 1:00 through 11:59, add 12 to the hour. Keep 12:xx PM as hour 12.
- 12:15 AM →
0015 - 8:20 AM →
0820 - 12:15 PM →
1215 - 8:20 PM →
2020
Saying Military Time
Exact hours are often spoken with “hundred,” as in “fourteen hundred” for 1400. Times with minutes are commonly read digitally or in pairs: 1845 can be “eighteen forty-five.” Practices differ by organization, so written digits are the authoritative form.
Validation Checklist
- Exactly four digits
- Hour from 00 to 23
- Minutes from 00 to 59
- No AM or PM suffix
- Date and time zone added when operationally important
Values such as 1265, 2405, and 930 PM do not follow the standard four-digit pattern. Correct formatting is not just cosmetic; it prevents schedule and handoff errors.