Buddhist Era Calculator
Convert between the Buddhist Era (BE) used in Thailand and Sri Lanka and the Common Era (CE), including Thailand’s pre-1941 April New Year.
Result
Buddhist Era year: BE 2569
Thai documents date by BE, and since 1941 the Thai year starts on 1 January, so the conversion is a fixed 543 years.
- Common Era year
- 2026 CE
https://calcgallery.com/date-time/buddhist-era-calculator/
Calendar results use the proleptic Gregorian calendar. Timezone results use the IANA data supplied by your browser or server, whose political rules can change. Confirm critical schedules with the people or service involved. Read the full disclaimer
How to use the Buddhist Era Calculator
- Choose whether you have a Common Era (CE) year or a Buddhist Era (BE) year.
- Pick the Thai or Sri Lankan count. Thai documents, receipts and ID cards use the Thai count.
- Enter the year and read the converted one. For years before 1941 in Thailand, read the note about the April New Year.
The conversion
The Buddhist Era is a year count, not a different calendar of months. In Thailand the months and days are the same as the Gregorian ones, and only the year number differs. So converting is a single addition or subtraction.
Thai BE = CE + 543 CE = BE − 543Sri Lankan BE = CE + 544 CE = BE − 544The one complication is historical. From 1912 to 1940 Thailand’s official year began on 1 April, so for those years January to March belong to the BE year before. The page adds a note for any year it affects, rather than give a single year that is right for only part of it.
Where each count is used
Thailand uses the BE year on everything official: ID cards, passports, contracts, tax forms and school certificates. Sri Lanka’s Buddhist calendar, and the religious calendars of Myanmar and Cambodia, use the count one higher. In daily civil life those countries use the CE year or their own national calendars.
With your numbers
- Thai Buddhist Era: add 543 to the CE year, or subtract 543 from the BE year
Quick reference
Thai documents date by BE, and since 1941 the Thai year starts on 1 January, so the conversion is a fixed 543 years.
| Example | Result |
|---|---|
| 2026 CE (Thai) | Buddhist Era year: BE 2569 |
| BE 2569 (Thai) | Common Era year: 2026 CE |
| BE 2540 (Thai) | Common Era year: 1997 CE |
| 1940 CE (Thai) | Buddhist Era year: BE 2483 |
| 1941 CE (Thai) | Buddhist Era year: BE 2484 |
| 2026 CE (Sri Lankan) | Buddhist Era year: BE 2570 |
Common questions about the Buddhist Era Calculator
- Why is the Thai year 543 years ahead?
- The Buddhist Era counts years from the Buddha's passing into parinirvana. Thailand reckons that event 543 years before the start of the Common Era, so BE 2569 is 2026 CE. Thailand adopted the BE count for official use in 1912.
- Why is the Sri Lankan count one year more?
- Sri Lanka, like Myanmar and Cambodia, starts counting from the year of the parinirvana itself, while the Thai count starts a year later. The same event gives a year number one higher, so Sri Lankan BE is CE plus 544.
- What happened to the Thai calendar in 1940 and 1941?
- Until 1940 the Thai official year began on 1 April. A 1940 act moved New Year to 1 January from 1941, to match international practice. BE 2483 therefore ran only from 1 April to 31 December 1940, and 1 January 1941 began BE 2484. For a date in January to March before 1941, the BE year is one lower than the simple rule gives.
- How do I read a Thai date on a document?
- Thai dates are written day, month, BE year, for example 4/10/2569. Subtract 543 from the year to get the CE year: 4 October 2026. Expiry dates on Thai products and visas use the same count.