How to Convert Military Time to Standard Time in PHP

Military time uses a 24-hour format ranging from 0000 (midnight) to 2359 (11:59 PM). To convert this into standard 12-hour time (AM/PM), we use PHP to format and manipulate the time string.

Step 1: Accept Military Time Input

We'll assume the input is a 4-digit number, like 1530 (which means 3:30 PM).

Step 2: Parse and Format Using PHP

We can use PHP's DateTime class to handle the conversion cleanly:

<?php
$militaryTime = "1530";

// Convert to a DateTime object using 24-hour format
$date = DateTime::createFromFormat('Hi', $militaryTime);

// Format into standard 12-hour time with AM/PM
$standardTime = $date->format('g:i A');

echo "Standard Time: " . $standardTime;
?>

Output:

Standard Time: 3:30 PM

Step 3: Validate Input (Optional but Recommended)

To avoid errors from invalid input like 2560 or 99ab, add a validation step:

<?php
$militaryTime = "2560"; // example of invalid input

if (preg_match('/^([01]\d|2[0-3])[0-5]\d$/', $militaryTime)) {
    $date = DateTime::createFromFormat('Hi', $militaryTime);
    echo $date->format('g:i A');
} else {
    echo "Invalid military time format.";
}
?>

Why Use PHP's DateTime?

The DateTime class handles all the complexity of time formatting, including things like daylight savings and time zones if needed. It's clean, reliable, and future-proof.

Now you know: How to take a military time input and convert it into readable, user-friendly standard time using PHP. Easy to implement, essential for apps, logs, or any time-sensitive systems.