Nepal runs on two calendars at once. Government offices, banks, and schools use Bikram Sambat (BS); most of the world uses the Gregorian calendar (AD). Converting between them by hand is easy to get wrong, since Nepali months don't have fixed lengths. This free tool below converts any date both ways in an instant, right in your browser — no app, no sign-up, and no internet connection needed once the page has loaded. Scroll past the calculator for a full guide to how Bikram Sambat works, why the two calendars sit roughly 56 to 57 years apart, and where you'll actually need this conversion in daily life.
What Is Bikram Sambat, and Why Does Nepal Use It?
Bikram Sambat is Nepal's official calendar — the one printed on government forms, bank statements, land documents, school report cards, and the country's own fiscal-year calendar. It's a solar calendar, meaning each year tracks one trip around the sun, but its month lengths and boundaries are set differently from the Gregorian system most of the world defaults to. That's the whole reason a dedicated converter is useful: the two calendars don't just have different year numbers, they also don't line up the same way month to month.
For anyone living in Nepal, working with Nepali clients or family, or simply trying to make sense of a document stamped with a BS date, the practical question is rarely "what year is it philosophically" — it's "what is this specific date in the calendar I actually understand." That's exactly what the tool above is built to answer, instantly and offline.
How to Use This Converter
The tool above works the same way whether you're converting a birth certificate date, checking a loan due date, or just curious what today looks like on the other calendar. There's no learning curve — pick a direction, enter a date any way that's convenient, and the result updates immediately.
A few things worth knowing while you use it:
- Both input methods stay in sync. Change the dropdowns, type a date manually, or tap a day on the calendar grid — whichever you use, the result panel and the calendar view update together.
- The supported range is BS 2000–2100 (roughly AD 1943–2043). This covers essentially every date a typical user will ever need, from old family documents to future planning.
- Invalid dates are caught immediately. If you try a day that doesn't exist in a given month (for either calendar), you'll get a plain-language explanation rather than a silently wrong result.
- Need more than one date at a time? Scroll down within the tool to "Bulk Convert Multiple Dates" — paste a whole list of dates, generate a date range with a set interval, or add rows one by one, then export everything as a CSV file or copy it as plain text. It's built for payroll runs, loan schedules, or checking a stack of documents in one pass, without converting each date by hand.
Why Nepal's Calendar Runs Roughly 56–57 Years "Ahead"
It's a common source of confusion: is Bikram Sambat 56 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar, or 57? The honest answer is "it depends on the time of year." Because BS counts years from a different starting point than AD, and because the Nepali New Year falls in the middle of the Gregorian year (mid-April) rather than at the start of it (January 1st), the gap between the two year-numbers actually shifts once a year, right at Nepali New Year.
In practice, that means the same AD year touches two different BS years — one for the first three and a half months (January to mid-April), and a new one for the rest of it. This is also exactly why a simple "add 57" mental-math trick eventually gets the wrong answer near the New Year boundary, and why an actual date-aware converter — like the one on this page — gives a more dependable result than a rule of thumb.
The Twelve Months of the Bikram Sambat Calendar
Unlike the Gregorian calendar, where every month has a fixed length year after year (aside from February), Bikram Sambat months are based on solar movement and can shift slightly in length from one year to the next — typically somewhere between 29 and 32 days. Here's the standard order, with the day-count range you'll typically see:
| # | Month (English) | Roughly Overlaps With | Typical Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Baisakh | Mid-April – Mid-May | 30–31 days |
| 2 | Jestha | Mid-May – Mid-June | 31–32 days |
| 3 | Ashadh | Mid-June – Mid-July | 31–32 days |
| 4 | Shrawan | Mid-July – Mid-August | 31–32 days |
| 5 | Bhadra | Mid-August – Mid-September | 31 days |
| 6 | Ashwin | Mid-September – Mid-October | 30–31 days |
| 7 | Kartik | Mid-October – Mid-November | 29–30 days |
| 8 | Mangsir | Mid-November – Mid-December | 29–30 days |
| 9 | Poush | Mid-December – Mid-January | 29–30 days |
| 10 | Magh | Mid-January – Mid-February | 29–30 days |
| 11 | Falgun | Mid-February – Mid-March | 29–30 days |
| 12 | Chaitra | Mid-March – Mid-April | 30–31 days |
Because these lengths can vary by a day or two from year to year, this converter uses a verified day-count table for every supported year rather than a fixed formula — which is exactly why it stays accurate all the way through the calendar, not just near round numbers.
Where You'll Actually Need a BS ⇄ AD Conversion
This isn't just a curiosity tool. A working date converter solves real, everyday friction for anyone navigating Nepal's mixed-calendar paperwork:
- Banking and loans: Nepali banks typically print statements, maturity dates, and EMI schedules in BS, while many apps, spreadsheets, and international services expect AD.
- Visas and travel documents: Passports and visas issued abroad use AD, while your Nepali citizenship certificate or birth certificate is almost always in BS.
- School and university admissions: Academic records in Nepal are dated in BS; many foreign university applications ask for your date of birth and graduation dates in AD.
- Legal and property documents: Land ownership certificates (lalpurja), court filings, and contracts in Nepal are dated in BS, which matters when cross-referencing timelines with AD-dated correspondence.
- Everyday planning: Knowing your AD birthday if you only know your BS one (or vice versa), checking how many days remain until a deadline, or simply understanding what today's date "means" on the other calendar.
Tips for Getting Reliable Conversions
- Always double-check the day, not just the month and year — since BS month lengths vary, a date near the end of a month is where hand-calculated conversions most often go wrong.
- Use the calendar view, not just typed numbers, when you're not fully sure of a date — seeing the surrounding days in context makes it much easier to catch a typo.
- For legal or financial paperwork, keep a copy of the converted result — the "Copy Result" button above formats it cleanly for pasting into an email, form, or note.
- Remember the New Year boundary if you're doing rough mental math — mid-April is where the "56 vs. 57" gap flips, as covered above.
Frequently Confused: BS vs. AD at a Glance
| AD Year | Corresponding BS Year(s) |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 2056 – 2057 |
| 2010 | 2066 – 2067 |
| 2020 | 2076 – 2077 |
| 2025 | 2081 – 2082 |
| 2026 | 2082 – 2083 |
| 2030 | 2086 – 2087 |
Each AD year spans two BS years because of the mid-April New Year boundary explained earlier. For an exact, day-specific answer rather than a range, use the calculator at the top of this page.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Bikram Sambat, the Gregorian calendar, and this converter — tap any question to expand it.
What is Bikram Sambat (BS)?
Bikram Sambat is the official solar calendar of Nepal, traditionally said to have been started by King Vikramaditya. It currently runs roughly 56–57 years ahead of the Gregorian (AD) calendar and is used for all official dates, holidays, and fiscal-year purposes in Nepal.
How many years ahead is BS compared to AD?
BS is generally 56 or 57 years ahead of AD, but the exact gap depends on the time of year, since Nepali New Year falls in mid-April rather than January 1st. Before mid-April the gap is usually 57 years; after mid-April it narrows to 56.
How accurate is this BS to AD converter?
This tool uses an offline table of verified day-counts for every Bikram Sambat month from BS 2000 to BS 2100, anchored to the confirmed date pair BS 2000-01-01 = AD 1943-04-14. Every conversion is computed from that table rather than an approximation formula.
What date range does this converter support?
It supports Bikram Sambat years 2000 to 2100, which corresponds to Gregorian years 1943 to 2043. Dates outside this window aren't converted, since reliable day-count data for them isn't included in the embedded table.
Why doesn't Bikram Sambat have the same month lengths every year?
Unlike the Gregorian calendar, BS months are based on the sun's movement through the zodiac (a solar calendar with lunar-derived month names), so month lengths (29 to 32 days) can vary slightly from year to year rather than being fixed.
When does the Nepali New Year fall?
Nepali New Year (1 Baisakh) falls in mid-April on the Gregorian calendar, typically April 13th or 14th, marking the start of a new Bikram Sambat year.
What are the 12 months of the Bikram Sambat calendar?
In order: Baisakh, Jestha, Ashadh, Shrawan, Bhadra, Ashwin, Kartik, Mangsir, Poush, Magh, Falgun, and Chaitra.
Does Nepal use BS or AD for official documents?
Nepal's government, banks, schools, and most official records use Bikram Sambat as the primary calendar, though AD dates are frequently shown alongside it, especially in international or business contexts.
What calendar does Nepal's fiscal year follow?
Nepal's government fiscal year runs from 1 Shrawan to the end of Ashadh the following year (mid-July to mid-July), based on the Bikram Sambat calendar.
Can I convert my birth date from BS to find my AD birthday?
Yes — use the Age & Birthday Calculator above, choose 'Birth date in BS', select your date, and the tool will show your AD equivalent birth date along with your exact age.
Is this tool free to use?
Yes, this BS-AD converter is completely free, requires no sign-up, and runs entirely in your browser.
Does this converter need an internet connection?
No. Once the page has loaded, all date conversion happens locally in your browser using the embedded calendar data — no server calls are made.
Is my data stored or sent anywhere?
No dates you enter are transmitted anywhere. Recent conversions and favorites are optionally saved in your own browser's local storage so they're available next time you visit — nothing leaves your device.
What is a leap year in the Gregorian calendar?
A Gregorian year is a leap year (366 days) if it's divisible by 4, except for century years, which must also be divisible by 400 — so 2000 was a leap year but 1900 was not.
Does Bikram Sambat have leap years?
BS doesn't follow a fixed leap-year rule like the Gregorian calendar. Instead, individual months naturally vary between 29 and 32 days depending on solar calculations, which is why some BS years total 366 days without a formal 'leap year' label.
What is an ISO week number?
The ISO week number counts weeks starting from the Monday of the week containing the year's first Thursday, giving a standardized way to reference a specific week (1 through 52 or 53) within a year.
What does 'day of year' mean?
It's the sequential count of a date within its year — for example, February 1st is day 32 of a non-leap Gregorian year, since 31 days of January come before it.
What is a Unix timestamp?
A Unix timestamp is the number of seconds elapsed since midnight UTC on January 1, 1970. It's widely used in computing to represent a specific moment in time in a compact, timezone-independent form.
How do I know if a date is a weekend in Nepal?
In Nepal, Saturday is the primary weekly holiday, and many workplaces also treat part or all of Sunday as a day off. This tool marks Saturday and Sunday as weekend days by default, matching the international convention.
What are the Nepali weekday names?
Aaitabar (Sunday), Sombar (Monday), Mangalbar (Tuesday), Budhabar (Wednesday), Bihibar (Thursday), Shukrabar (Friday), and Shanibar (Saturday).
What is the Nepali Ritu (season) system?
Traditionally, the Nepali/Vedic calendar year is divided into six two-month seasons (เคเคคु): Basant (spring), Grishma (summer), Barsha (monsoon), Sharad (autumn), Hemanta (pre-winter), and Shishir (winter) — each pairing two consecutive Bikram Sambat months.
Can I see a full BS calendar month, not just one date?
Yes — the interactive calendar in the converter above shows a full month grid in either BS or AD, with today and your selected date highlighted, and lets you jump between months and years.
Does this tool show Nepali festival dates?
Not currently. Many major Nepali festivals (like Dashain, Tihar, and Holi) follow lunar positions rather than a fixed Bikram Sambat date, which requires a separate panchang (astronomical almanac) dataset. This is on the roadmap for a future update.
Why does the same AD date sometimes convert to a different BS date than other online tools?
Small discrepancies between tools usually come from differences in the underlying calendar data source or rounding around month boundaries. This tool's data is anchored to a verified BS 2000 / AD 1943 reference pair and cross-checked internally for consistency across the full supported range.
What's the difference between Bikram Sambat and Nepal Sambat?
Bikram Sambat is Nepal's official civil calendar. Nepal Sambat is a separate, older lunar calendar historically used in the Kathmandu Valley (particularly by the Newar community) and is now mainly used for cultural and community purposes rather than official records.
Can I use this converter for legal or government documents?
This tool is designed to be highly accurate for everyday use, but for legal, banking, or government paperwork, always cross-check against an official source or the issuing authority's own calendar, since official records take precedence.
What's a quick way to estimate the BS year from an AD year?
Add roughly 56 or 57 to the AD year depending on the month — but for anything that needs to be exact, use the calculator above rather than the rough mental-math version.
Does the calculator work on mobile phones?
Yes — the entire tool is built mobile-first and works on phones, tablets, and desktops, including touch-friendly calendar navigation.
Can I switch between English and Nepali numerals?
Yes — use the 'Nepali Digits' toggle near the top of the tool to switch all displayed numbers between English (0–9) and Devanagari Nepali numerals (เฅฆ–เฅฏ).
Does the tool support dark mode?
Yes — tap the theme button to cycle between Auto (follows your device setting), Light, and Dark modes. Your choice is remembered on your device.
What is a zodiac sign shown for my date, and is it accurate?
The Western (tropical) zodiac sign is calculated from the AD month and day using standard date ranges. It's included as a fun addition and isn't related to Bikram Sambat astrology or Nepali jyotish traditions.
Is the moon phase shown here precise?
It's a good approximation based on the average length of a lunar month (about 29.53 days) from a known new moon reference point. For precise astronomical or religious (panchang) purposes, consult a dedicated Nepali panchang source.
Final Thoughts
Whether you're filling out a form, checking a document, planning a birthday, or just satisfying your own curiosity, converting between Bikram Sambat and the Gregorian calendar shouldn't require guesswork or a rough approximation. Bookmark this page — the converter above works fully offline once loaded, remembers your preferences on this device, and covers over a century of dates in both directions.
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