Writing Years in Text
Write calendar years clearly as numerals in ordinary date and time references, normally using all four digits when ambiguity matters. The Australian Government Style Manual uses full years in body-text examples and reserves two-digit years for limited, clearly understood contexts.
Use numerals for ordinary year references, usually all four digits: “2026,” not an abbreviated form unless the context and style explicitly permit it.
Key details
Important caveats
Style Boundary
Specialized financial, tabular, or system contexts may permit shortened years; follow the governing style or data standard instead of shortening by habit.
Further guidance
Clarity Rule
Full four-digit years are usually the clearest default in prose and ordinary date references.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Dates and time — Australian Government Style Manual (opens in a new tab)Australian Government Style Manual · Australian Government guidance for day–month–year dates, ordinal dates, decades, centuries, time zones, and en-dash spacing in date/time spans