# Have you noticed that we are now asked to state the 2-digit year everywhere?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [August 26, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839 "2009-08-26T23:25:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Brainiac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brainiac)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/1 "2009-08-26T23:25:20Z")
I’ve seen it on every online and paper form. Up until 1999, the final 2 years were all you needed, but now we have to be clear which century we mean, say when we specify the expiration date on a credit card.
I guess they figure to get a head start on the next turn of the century. Not to mention credit cards with hundred year expiration dates 😉
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### Author:  [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/2 "2009-08-26T23:39:16Z")
That 2-2-4-digit format started over 9 years ago, due to the ‘Millennium Bug.’
Recently I’ve noticed some forms reverting back to the 2-2-2-digit format.
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### Author:  [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2009, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/3 "2009-08-27T00:11:54Z")
I’ll confess something.
My bank deposit slips say “Date: (dd/mm/yyyy)” but I only put 2 digits for the year anyway, in direct defiance of the suggested format. I find it really adds to my bad boy image, plus it drives the ladies wild.
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2009, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/4 "2009-08-27T07:18:00Z")
Don’t you mean “now asked to state the **4-digit** year everywhere”?
I suspect that the reason for this is that “09” can also be mistaken for “September” or even “the 9th of the month”, depending on context. “09/11” has more potential for confusion than “09/98”, say.
For example, I’ve seen best-before dates on food saying things like
“Best before: 09-01-10”
Depending on the date format used (for which there is no clue given), that could mean January 9, 2010 (my first guess, for a UK product), or September 1, 2010, or January 10, 2009, or maybe even October 1, 2009.
Once we’re past 2012, the confusion will reduce somewhat.
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### Author:  [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2009, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/5 "2009-08-27T12:24:43Z")
> [@Colophon](#):
>
> Once we’re past 2012, the confusion will reduce somewhat.
Yeah, given that the world will have ended and all, it will pretty much be irrelevent.🙂
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### Author:  [@kittenblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kittenblue)
#### Post date: [August 27, 2009, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/6 "2009-08-27T12:42:26Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#):
>
> I’ll confess something.
>
> My bank deposit slips say “Date: (dd/mm/yyyy)” but I only put 2 digits for the year anyway, in direct defiance of the suggested format. I find it really adds to my bad boy image, plus it drives the ladies wild.
Ooooohhh..how YOU doin’, **Rigamarole**?
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### Author:  [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/7 "2009-08-29T00:55:03Z")
I refuse to write the date numerically. Today has been August 28th, 2009 or the 28th of August, 2009. Accept no substitutes.
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/8 "2009-08-29T01:19:56Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#):
>
> I refuse to write the date numerically. Today has been August 28th, 2009 or the 28th of August, 2009. Accept no substitutes.
Numerically, ISO 8601 rules! 2009-08-29 all the way!
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### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/9 "2009-08-29T01:34:59Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#):
>
> I refuse to write the date numerically. Today has been August 28th, 2009 or the 28th of August, 2009. Accept no substitutes.
How do you do that? The checks I had in Canada demanded a date format of YYYYMMDD. Do you just write over it?
In letters, I use 28th August or 2nd July, but in official or semi-official or legal or semi-legal or banking or semi-banking documents, I use whatever the hell saves me problems.
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### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/10 "2009-08-29T01:41:04Z")
At risk of a hijack, I’ll add that Ottawa was the first place I saw an apartment number included in the street number.
Instead of 101 Carling Apt #101, etc., I saw 101-101 Carling.
Now that was odd.
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### Author:  [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/11 "2009-08-29T02:03:10Z")
> [@Frank](#):
>
> How do you do that? The checks I had in Canada demanded a date format of YYYYMMDD. Do you just write over it?
[For cheques in Canada:](http://www.cdnpay.ca/rules/pdfs_rules/standard_006_complete.pdf)
> [@](#):
>
> ������ The date field shall be designed in such a way as to encourage a standardized, numeric
> representation of the date. Acceptable numeric representation for the date field on all
> cheques is in the form of YYYYMMDD, MMDDYYYY and DDMMYYYY.
> ������ Spaces, dashes or dots are permitted between elements of the date (e.g. 2005 09 23;
> 23-09-2005; or 09.23.2005).
> ������ Slashes or other symbols are NOT permitted between elements of the date. (Note:
> Slashes are permitted in the bilingual version of the date field indicators, which must be
> printed below the date as shown in Figure E1).
And before anyone comments on why I’m posting cheque regulations trivia on a Friday night, I’ve already had a terrific night out including excellent prime rib.
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### Author:  [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/12 "2009-08-29T02:14:30Z")
> [@Muffin](#):
>
> And before anyone comments on why I’m posting cheque regulations trivia on a Friday night, I’ve already had a terrific night out including excellent prime rib.
I still regret that weather demanded my moving on from Thunder Bay that afternoon.
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### Author:  [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/13 "2009-08-29T04:07:33Z")
I too.
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### Author:  [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/14 "2009-08-29T04:57:56Z")
> [@Frank](#):
>
> At risk of a hijack, I’ll add that Ottawa was the first place I saw an apartment number included in the street number.
>
> Instead of 101 Carling Apt #101, etc., I saw 101-101 Carling.
>
> Now that was odd.
Since 101-101=0, I’d be very tempted to write 0 Carling. Or possibly 0 Carlings.
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### Author:  [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/15 "2009-08-29T05:23:30Z")
> [@Dr.Drake](#):
>
> Since 101-101=0, I’d be very tempted to write 0 Carling. Or possibly 0 Carlings.
Don’t do that, for it would start a rumour of a beer shortage, which in turn would cause the government to fall.
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/16 "2009-08-29T09:40:04Z")
> [@Muffin](#):
>
> …would cause the government to fall.
Yay! I mean, ‘oh no!’
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### Author:  [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/17 "2009-08-29T13:03:04Z")
> [@Frank](#):
>
> How do you do that? The checks I had in Canada demanded a date format of YYYYMMDD. Do you just write over it?
>
> In letters, I use 28th August or 2nd July, but in official or semi-official or legal or semi-legal or banking or semi-banking documents, I use whatever the hell saves me problems.
I write it in words above the space provided. If some boffin needs to fill it in, they can.
The silly part is that it isn’t standardized from bank to bank. Our bank wants year, month, date - my mother in law’s bank wants month, date, year. What’s the point of cooperating with a system that leaves 132 dates per year ambiguous?
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### Author:  [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/18 "2009-08-29T13:10:54Z")
In September and October, we go into keg party season. What’s the bet the government falls at that time?
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/19 "2009-08-29T16:04:40Z")
> [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](#):
>
> I write it in words above the space provided. If some boffin needs to fill it in, they can.
>
> The silly part is that it isn’t standardized from bank to bank. Our bank wants year, month, date - my mother in law’s bank wants month, date, year. What’s the point of cooperating with a system that leaves 132 dates per year ambiguous?
Huh. I thought it was standardized on YYYYMMDD. That’s what the Royal Bank uses on its cheques. They made a fuss a few years ago about new cheque standards and all; that would have been the best time to standardize.
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### Author:  [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2009, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-noticed-that-we-are-now-asked-to-state-the-2-digit-year-everywhere/507839/20 "2009-08-29T16:07:37Z")
> [@Frank](#):
>
> At risk of a hijack, I’ll add that Ottawa was the first place I saw an apartment number included in the street number.
>
> Instead of 101 Carling Apt #101, etc., I saw 101-101 Carling.
That’s very common here. I put A2-3 My Street when I’m writing down my address; if I want to be particularly clear, I put 3 My Street, Apt. A2. But I think the A2-3 form is more common.
Of course, if you live on a numbered street, like the ones in Long Branch, it gets more interesting. 3-115 30th Street. 🙂
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