Human-readable time remaining: time_until

The time_until template function returns a human-readable string describing how much time remains until a given 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. in the future. Give it a future datetime, and it returns something like “3 hours” or “2 days and 6 hours” instead of a raw number of seconds.

This is useful whenever you want to display a countdown or remaining time in a natural format. For example, showing how long until the next alarm goes off, displaying “arrives in 45 minutes” for a delivery, or reporting how much time is left on a timer. The function only works with datetimes in the future. For past datetimes, use time_since instead. You can control the level of detail with the optional precision parameter, which determines how many time components (years, months, days, hours, minutes, seconds) to include.

Usage

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

{{ time_until(as_datetime(states("sensor.next_alarm"))) }}

6 hours

{{ as_datetime(states("sensor.next_alarm")) | time_until }}

6 hours

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.

time_until(
    value: datetime,
    precision: int = 1,
) -> str

Function parameters

The following parameters can be provided to this function.

Controlling precision

By default, time_until returns only the largest time component. Increase the precision to include more detail.

{{ time_until(as_datetime(states("sensor.next_alarm")), 1) }}

6 hours

{{ time_until(as_datetime(states("sensor.next_alarm")), 3) }}

6 hours, 15 minutes and 30 seconds

Good to know

• Only works with datetimes in the future. For past datetimes, use time_since instead.
• Durations shorter than one second return "0 seconds".
• The input datetime must be time zone aware.

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.

Show time until next alarm

Display a countdown to the next alarm on your dashboard.

{{ "Alarm in " ~ time_until(as_datetime(states("sensor.next_alarm"))) }}

Alarm in 6 hours

Countdown to a scheduled event

Show how long until a calendar event starts, with more detail.

{% set event_time = as_datetime(states("sensor.next_appointment")) %}
Starts in {{ time_until(event_time, 2) }}

Starts in 2 hours and 30 minutes

Time remaining in an automation condition

Only run the rest of an automationAutomations in Home Assistant allow you to automatically respond to things that happen in and around your home. [Learn more] if a scheduled event is less than 1 hour away. Combine time_until with a check on the remaining time using today_at and now.

condition:
  - condition: template
    value_template: >
      {{
        as_datetime(states("sensor.next_event")) - now()
        < timedelta(hours=1)
      }}

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:

• Human-readable time elapsed: time_since - Returns a human-readable string describing how much time has passed since a datetime.

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

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

• Today at a specific time: today_at - Returns today’s date combined with a specific time.