Parse a time string: strptime

The strptime template function parses a date/time string according to a format you specify and returns a datetimeA value representing a specific moment in time, including the date, time, and time zone. For example, 2026-04-05 14:30:00+00:00. Used for timestamps, scheduling, and time-based calculations. object. Give it a string like “15/03/2024 14:30” along with the matching format “%d/%m/%Y %H:%M”, and it converts the text into a proper datetime you can work with.

While as_datetime handles ISO 8601 formatted strings automatically, many sensorsSensors return information about a thing, for instance the level of water in a tank. [Learn more] and external data sources provide dates in non-standard formats. A weather service might return “March 15, 2024”, a calendar integration might give you “15/03/2024”, or a custom sensor might report “2024.03.15 14:30”. strptime lets you parse any date format by telling it exactly how the string is structured. The format codes follow Python’s strftime/strptime conventions.

Usage

Here’s how to use this template function. Copy any example and adjust it to your setup.

{{ strptime("15/03/2024 14:30", "%d/%m/%Y %H:%M") }}

2024-03-15 14:30:00

Function signature

The signature is a technical summary of this template function. It shows the name of the function, the values (called parameters) it accepts, and what type of data each parameter expects (for example, a piece of text or a number).

Function parameters that have a = with a value after them are optional. If you leave them out, the default value shown is used automatically. Function parameters without a default are required.

strptime(
    string: str,
    format: str,
    default: Any = None,
) -> datetime | Any

Function parameters

The following parameters can be provided to this function.

Common format codes

Here are the most frequently used format codes and what each one stands for:

• %Y: four-digit year (for example, 2024)
• %m: zero-padded month (for example, 03)
• %d: zero-padded day (for example, 15)
• %H: hour in 24-hour format (for example, 14)
• %M: minute (for example, 30)
• %S: second (for example, 00)
• %B: full month name (for example, March)
• %A: full weekday name (for example, Friday)
• %I: hour in 12-hour format (for example, 02)
• %p: AM or PM

Using a default value

If the string might not match the expected format, provide a default to avoid errors.

{{ strptime("invalid", "%Y-%m-%d", default="unknown") }}

unknown

Good to know

• The returned datetime has no time zone attached unless the format string includes one (for example, with %z). Compare it to another naive datetime or add a time zone before comparing with now.
• Missing components default to their lowest value. A format that only parses a time gives you a datetime on 1900-01-01.
• The format string must match the input exactly. Extra spaces, different separators, or a mismatched case for month names causes parsing to fail.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Developer tools > Template, paste the example into the Template editor, and watch the result update on the right. Edit the values to see how the function adapts to your own entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more].

More examples

Real scenarios where this function comes up in automations and templates. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Parse a date with month name

Parse a date string that uses the full month name.

{{ strptime("March 15, 2024", "%B %d, %Y") }}

2024-03-15 00:00:00

Parse a 12-hour time format

Parse a time that uses AM/PM notation.

{{ strptime("2:30 PM", "%I:%M %p") }}

1900-01-01 14:30:00

Parse and compare with now

Parse a date string from a sensor and check if it is in the past.

{% set event_date = strptime(states("sensor.next_event"), "%Y-%m-%d %H:%M") %}
{{ event_date < now().replace(tzinfo=none) }}

false

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with your template and expected result, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related template functions

These functions work well alongside this one:

• Convert to datetime: as_datetime - Converts a string or timestamp to a datetime object.

• Convert to UNIX timestamp: as_timestamp - Converts a datetime object or string to a UNIX timestamp.

• Current local date and time: now - Returns the current date and time in your local time zone.

• Format timestamp with custom format: timestamp_custom - Formats a UNIX timestamp as a string using a custom format.