**Federal Information**

**Processing Standards Publication 4**

**November 1, 1968**

[Announcing The Standard For]{.smallcaps}

**[C]{.smallcaps}alendar Date**

Federal Information Processing Standards Publications are issued by the
National Bureau of Standards under the direction of the Bureau of the
Budget in accordance with the provisions of Public Law 89-306 and Bureau
of the Budget Circular No. A-86.

**Name of Standard.** Calendar Date **(FIPS 4).**

**Category of Standard.** Federal General Data Standard, Representations
and Codes.

**Approving Authority.** Bureau of the Budget.

**Maintenance Agency.** Department of Commerce, National Bureau of
Standards, (Center for Computer Sciences and Technology).

**Cross Index.** None.

**Applicability.** This standard will be prescribed for the interchange
of formatted machine sensible coded data between and among agencies. Use
within agency data systems is encouraged when such use contributes to
operational benefits, efficiency or economy.

**Implementation Schedule.** This standard will become effective on
January 1, 1970. Agencies may use this standard prior to that date by
mutual agreement.

**Specifications**. Federal Information Processing Standard 4 (FIPS 4),
Calendar Date, November 1, 1968 (affixed).

**Qualifications.** As contained in the specifications.

**Where to Obtain Copies of the Specifications.**

**a.** Copies of this publication are for sale by the Superintendent of
Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. 20402.
Refer to Federal Information Processing Standards Publication 4. (Price
20 cents a copy.)

**b.** This publication may be copies and locally reproduced to meet
agency requirements.

**Federal Information**

**Processing Standards Publication 4**

**November 1, 1968**

[Specifications For]{.smallcaps}

**[C]{.smallcaps}alendar Date**

**1. Name of Standard.** Calendar Date.

**2. Category of Standard.** Federal General Data Standard,
Representations and Codes.

**3. Explanation.** This standard provides codes and representations for
identifying the specific Years, Months, and Days of the Gregorian
Calendar.

**4. Specifications.** Calendar Date is represented by a numeric code of
six consecutive positions that represent (from left to right, in high to
low order sequence) the Year, the Month and the Day, as identified by
the Gregorian Calendar.

**4.1.** The first two positions represent the units and tens
identification of the Year. For example, the Year 1914 is represented as
14, and the Year 1915 is represented as 15.

**4.2.** The third and fourth positions represent the twelve Months of
the Year, i.e.:

  ---------------------- ----------- ------------------------- -----------
  **Month**              **Code**    **Month**                 **Code**

  January                01          July                      07

  February               02          August                    08

  March                  03          September                 09

  April                  04          October                   10

  May                    05          November                  11

  June                   06          December                  12
  ---------------------- ----------- ------------------------- -----------

**4.3.** The fifth and sixth positions represent the Days of the Month,
which are expressed as 01 through 31.

**4.4.** Examples of Calendar Date coding are: December 1, 1909 is coded
as 091201; 31 January 1964 is coded as 640131; 1967 January 15 is coded
as 670115.

**5.** **Qualifications:** Where considered necessary, this standard may
be expressed and applied in the following ways:

**5.1.** The two digit representation for Year may be reduced to the
unit digit only, when information is confined to a period within a
decade; it may also be extended to four digits when information extends
to more than one century.

**5.2.** The two digit Month code and the two digit Day representation
may collectively be expressed by a three digit. Ordinal Number
(beginning with 001, representing January 1 and progressing to 365,
representing December 31 except progressing to 366 in Leap Years.

**5.3.** The codes and representations for Year, Month, and Day and
Ordinal Day may be used independently or collectively as required. The
only condition which must be fulfilled is that the order must be
maintained in a high low sequence, i.e., Year, Month, Day or Year,
Ordinal Day.