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A guide to writing dates, days and time.

Days and months are spelt out in full unless appearing in T&Cs, disclaimers, contact details or mobile apps.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Monday, January

Apply by 1 Jan 2023.

Mon–Sun


Dates should appear as <Day>, <Date><Month><Year>

FOR EXAMPLE:

Monday, 1 January 2021

Note: For T&Cs and disclaimers, shorten dates as DD/MM/YY or 1 Jan 2021.


Don’t use ‘st’, ‘nd’, ‘rd’, ‘th’ on dates.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Do: 25 January 2023

Don't: 25th January 2023


No apostrophes on decades – it’s plural, not possessive.

FOR EXAMPLE:

1990s, 90s


For date/day/time ranges, use an em dash with no space on either side.

FOR EXAMPLE:

10–15 January 2021

2010–2020

Mon–Fri

8am–8pm


For times, use the 12-hour clock and use full stops to separate hours and minutes.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Do: 7am, 8.30am, 5.30pm

Don't: 7:00am, 8:30am, 17:30

Note: For 12am and 12pm, use ‘midnight’ and ‘noon’.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Entries closes before midnight.

The event will start at noon.


If you need to specify the time zone, use the following format:

WESTPAC

8.30am-5pm (Sydney time), Mon-Fri

ST.GEORGE

Mon-Sat, 8am-8pm (AEST)

BANK OF MELBOURNE

Mon-Sat, 8am-8pm

BANKSA

Mon-Sat, 7.30am-7.30pm


Use 24/7 – not ‘24 hours, 7 days a week’.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Bank online, 24/7

You can call us anytime, 24/7


When writing for mobile apps, the guidance for dates and times are as follows:

Date can be qualified as today, yesterday or tomorrow, write:

FOR EXAMPLE:

today, yesterday, tomorrow

Date cannot be qualified as today, yesterday or tomorrow, write:

FOR EXAMPLE:

Fri 1 Mar 2022

To write a date date with time:

FOR EXAMPLE:

Fri 1 Mar 2022 11:50pm (Sydney time)


Numbers 0 to 9 are generally written as words while numbers 10+ are generally written as numerals.

FOR EXAMPLE:

No monthly fees for six months.

Our lowest rate in 20 years.


Use numerals instead of words for:

  • business days
  • age
  • school years
  • dates and business days
  • street addresses
  • tips articles
  • instructions
  • snappy copy
  • mobile apps where space is limited.

FOR EXAMPLE:

Your new card will arrive within 5 business days

Children under 5 years old…

Year 12 students


Avoid starting a headline or sentence with a numeral unless it’s dollar amounts, percentages, points or tips/reasons/steps, etc.

FOR EXAMPLE:

$3k cashback when you refinance your home loan to us.

1.99% p.a. fixed rate for first home buyers.

150,000 Velocity Points could be yours with a Westpac home loan.

5 tips for paying off your mortgage faster.

3 easy steps to setting up Online Banking.