Date & time · the year 2038 problemThe Year 2038 problem
The Year 2038 problem is the moment a 32-bit Unix seconds counter overflows: 19 January 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC. The counter below shows how long is left, followed by a plain-language explanation.
Many programs store time as the number of seconds since 1 January 1970 in a 32-bit slot. Its limit is 2,147,483,647 seconds, reached on 19 January 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC: old systems that are not updated in time will jump back to 1901.
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Frequently asked questions
The Year 2038 problem: Tuesday, 19 January 2038 at 06:14 Moscow time. The date follows a rule — 19 January 2038, 03:14:07 UTC — so it is known years ahead. The counter at the top always shows the nearest date, and the “Dates by year” block below lists five years.
The counter at the top of the page shows the days, hours and minutes left until the Year 2038 problem and updates every second by your device’s clock. On the day itself it shows “Today”, and from the next day it counts down to the following year. Nothing needs entering: the date follows the rule.
Old systems that store time as a 32-bit number of seconds may break: embedded electronics, industrial controllers, old databases and file formats. After 03:14:07 UTC on 19 January 2038 their counter overflows and shows 13 December 1901. Modern computers and phones have long stored time as a 64-bit number.
Unix counts time in seconds since midnight UTC on 1 January 1970. The largest signed 32-bit number is 2,147,483,647, and that many seconds will have passed at 03:14:07 on 19 January 2038. The next second no longer fits in 32 bits, the number turns negative — hence the jump to 1901.
No, it is not a public holiday: it is not on the list of days off in Article 112 of the Russian Labour Code, so work and school go on as usual. If the date falls on a Saturday or Sunday, it is an ordinary weekend. All days off and moved days for the year are in the working calendar linked under the counter.
Press “Add to your site” under the counter: the widget builder opens with this event. Pick the size and theme, copy the code — a single iframe tag with no scripts — and paste it into an HTML block on your site. The widget updates itself, sets no cookies, congratulates visitors on the day and then counts down to the Year 2038 problem the following year.