Quick answer
24-hour time converts to 12-hour by taking the hour mod 12 (0 becomes 12), with AM before 12:00 and PM from 12:00. 1730 is 5:30 PM.
Choose a direction and enter a time. The calculator returns the converted time. Use this military time converter to check your own figures.
Related tools: Time Duration Calculator: Elapsed time between two clock times, including across midnight. Time Until Calculator: Hours and minutes from the current time until a target clock time (generalizes “how long until 3:58 PM”). Time to Decimal Calculator: Convert hours and minutes to decimal hours.
How to use the Military Time Converter
- Choose convert: 24-hour → 12-hour and 12-hour → 24-hour.
- Type time, for example 1730 or 5:30 PM.
- Press Calculate to see the result, and use Reset to start again.
| Input | What to enter | Allowed values |
|---|---|---|
| Convert | Choose one: 24-hour → 12-hour; 12-hour → 24-hour | Starts at 24-hour → 12-hour |
| Time | Text, such as 1730 or 5:30 PM | — |
Formula and method
Formula
12-hour = 24-hour mod 12 (0 → 12), with AM before 12:00 and PM from 12:00
Exact integer day arithmetic in UTC; no daylight-saving or time-zone effects.
Accepts HH:MM or HHMM for 24-hour input and h:mm AM/PM for 12-hour input.
Worked examples
These examples are verified: each one is an automated test case that the live calculator must reproduce exactly.
Example 1
Inputs: Convert = 24-hour → 12-hour; Time = 1730.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| 12-hour time | 5:30 PM |
Example 2
Inputs: Convert = 24-hour → 12-hour; Time = 00:05.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| 12-hour time | 12:05 AM |
Example 3
Inputs: Convert = 12-hour → 24-hour; Time = 12:00 AM.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| 24-hour time | 00:00 |
The first line is the headline result (12-hour time). Exact integer day arithmetic in UTC; no daylight-saving or time-zone effects.
Edge cases
00:00 is 12:00 AM (midnight) and 12:00 is 12:00 PM (noon). 2359 is 11:59 PM.
Reading military time
Military time is written without a colon, spoken 'seventeen thirty'. Add 12 to PM hours to convert back.
What happens with invalid input
These messages are produced by the calculator itself, so you know what to fix.
- Time: entering "2460" shows "Enter a time like 1730 or 17:30." beside that field and no result.
Choosing between the Military Time Converter and similar calculators
Each row shows what a related calculator on this site asks for and what it returns, so you can pick the one that matches your question.
| Calculator | You enter | It returns |
|---|---|---|
| [Time Duration Calculator](/time/time-duration-calculator/) | start time and end time | Duration |
| [Time Until Calculator](/time/time-until-calculator/) | current time and target time | Time remaining |
| [Time to Decimal Calculator](/time/time-to-decimal-calculator/) | hours and minutes | Decimal hours |
| [Hours Calculator](/time/hours-calculator/) | start time and end time | Hours worked |
| [Time Card Calculator](/time/time-card-calculator/) | start times, end times and unpaid break per day | Total time |
Background: dates and times
Date and time results depend on the conventions a tool uses: whether the end date counts, whether weekends and holidays are skipped, how months of different lengths are handled and whether time zones are applied. This page states its convention, and the worked examples show it.
Dates use the Gregorian calendar and calendar days unless the page says otherwise; check deadlines against the rule in your contract or regulation.
Assumptions and limitations
- 00:00 = 12:00 AM; 12:00 = 12:00 PM
If a required value is empty, not a number, or outside its allowed range, the form marks that field with a message and shows no result instead of a misleading number. The automated checks deliberately try invalid entries for time to confirm this.
Frequently asked questions
What is 1300?
1300 is 1:00 PM, since 13 − 12 = 1.
What is 0700?
0700 is 7:00 AM.
Is 24:00 valid?
No: 24:00 is not used here. Midnight at the start of the day is 00:00 (12:00 AM).
What does the Military Time Converter calculate?
Convert between 24-hour (military) time and 12-hour AM/PM time. It returns 12-hour time.
What formula does the Military Time Converter use?
12-hour = 24-hour mod 12 (0 → 12), with AM before 12:00 and PM from 12:00. Accepts HH:MM or HHMM for 24-hour input and h:mm AM/PM for 12-hour input.
What do I need to enter in the military Time Converter?
You enter Convert and Time.
How is the result rounded or limited?
Exact integer day arithmetic in UTC; no daylight-saving or time-zone effects. 00:00 = 12:00 AM; 12:00 = 12:00 PM.
What does the “Convert” option change?
It sets how the military Time is worked out. The choices are 24-hour → 12-hour and 12-hour → 24-hour.
What is an example of a military Time result?
With convert 24-hour → 12-hour and time 1730, the 12-hour time is 5:30 PM.
Related calculators
- Time Duration Calculator — Elapsed time between two clock times, including across midnight.
- Time Until Calculator — Hours and minutes from the current time until a target clock time (generalizes “how long until 3:58 PM”).
- Time to Decimal Calculator — Convert hours and minutes to decimal hours.
- Hours Calculator — Hours worked between a start and end time, minus breaks.
- Time Card Calculator — Total hours, overtime and gross pay from daily start and end times.
- Time From Now Calculator — Clock time after adding or subtracting minutes.
Sources
- ISO 8601-1: Date and time, representations for information interchange (calendar dates, ordinal dates and week dates)
- Gregorian calendar reform, papal bull Inter gravissimas (1582): the leap-year rule used for all dates
Content last reviewed 2026-11-04. Formulas and worked examples are checked by automated tests against independently computed values.