Current UTC date and time: utcnow

The utcnow template function returns the current date and time in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time). It gives you a full 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 representing the present moment in the UTC time zone, regardless of your local time zone setting.

When you need to compare times across time zones, store timestamps in a universal format, or perform calculations that should not be affected by daylight saving time changes, utcnow() is the right choice. It is also useful when interacting with external services that expect UTC timestamps. Like now, using utcnow() in a template causes it to be re-evaluated at the start of every new minute, keeping time-dependent values up to date automatically.

Usage

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

{{ utcnow() }}

2024-03-15 13:30:00.123456+00:00

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.

utcnow() -> datetime

Working with the result

utcnow() 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. You can access individual components and format the output, just like with now.

The UTC time is {{ utcnow().hour }}:{{ utcnow().minute }}
Today is day {{ utcnow().day }} of month {{ utcnow().month }}

The UTC time is 13:30
Today is day 15 of month 3

Formatting with strftime

You can format the date and time in any way you like using Python’s strftime method.

{{ utcnow().strftime("%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ") }}

2024-03-15T13:30:00Z

Good to know

• Templates that reference utcnow() are re-evaluated at the start of every minute, the same as now.
• The returned datetime is time zone aware and always in UTC, so adding a timedelta or subtracting from a local datetime works without conversion.

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.

Calculate the UTC offset

Compare now with utcnow() to determine your current UTC offset in hours.

{{ ((now() - utcnow()).total_seconds() / 3600) | round(0) | int }}

1

ISO 8601 formatted UTC timestamp

Create a standard ISO 8601 timestamp string, useful for logging or sending to external APIs.

{{ utcnow().isoformat() }}

2024-03-15T13:30:00.123456+00:00

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:

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

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

• Convert to local time zone: as_local - Converts a datetime object to your local time zone.

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