Easter date calculator
Enter a year, get the date of Easter.
How is the date of Easter set?
Western churches celebrate Easter on the first Sunday after the ecclesiastical full moon that falls on or after March 21. The calculator uses the standard Gregorian algorithm given by Jean Meeus in Astronomical Algorithms. The U.S. Naval Observatory explains that these are ecclesiastical rules rather than astronomical ones: the spring equinox is fixed at March 21, and the ecclesiastical full moon is the 14th day of a tabular lunar month, so it can differ by a day or two from the real full moon.
When is Easter 2027?
Western Easter is March 28, 2027; Orthodox Easter is May 2, 2027.
What are the earliest and latest dates?
Western Easter always falls between March 22 and April 25. The earliest possible date, March 22, occurs for example in 1818 and 2285; the latest, April 25, in 1943 and 2038.
Why is Orthodox Easter often later?
Orthodox churches compute Easter on the Julian calendar, which is now 13 days behind the Gregorian one, so the two dates often differ — though in some years they coincide: from 2000 to 2030 that happens in 2001, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2017, 2025, 2028 (in 2025, both fall on April 20). In 2026 Western Easter is April 5 and Orthodox Easter is April 12. The U.S. Naval Observatory notes that many Eastern Orthodox churches still use the older Julian-based tables, and that practice varies among the Eastern churches.
Which years does it cover?
Western Easter for 1583 to 9999, after the Gregorian calendar began; Orthodox Easter for 1900 to 2099, while the calendar difference is 13 days.
Worked example: Easter 2026 step by step
The Meeus–Jones–Butcher algorithm uses whole-number division only. For 2026: a = 2026 mod 19 = 12; the century b = 20 and the remaining years c = 26; d = ⌊b ÷ 4⌋ = 5 and e = b mod 4 = 0; f = ⌊(b + 8) ÷ 25⌋ = 1; g = ⌊(b − f + 1) ÷ 3⌋ = 6. The epact-like term is h = (19a + b − d − g + 15) mod 30 = 12. Then i = ⌊c ÷ 4⌋ = 6, k = c mod 4 = 2, and l = (32 + 2e + 2i − h − k) mod 7 = 2. A correction m = ⌊(a + 11h + 22l) ÷ 451⌋ = 0 gives h + l − 7m + 114 = 128. The month is ⌊128 ÷ 31⌋ = 4 (April) and the day is 128 mod 31 + 1 = 5. Easter 2026 is therefore Sunday, April 5, 2026.
Which holidays depend on Easter?
Churches count the moving dates from Easter. Counting back from April 5, 2026: Good Friday is 2 days before (April 3), and Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, is 46 days before (February 18). Counting forward, Pentecost is 49 days after (May 24). Easter Monday is a public holiday in many countries but not a U.S. federal holiday.
Common mistakes with Easter dates
First, using the astronomical full moon: the church rule uses a table, so an Easter that looks a week late compared with the real moon is not an error. Second, using the Gregorian result for churches that follow the Julian calendar; that is why Orthodox Easter has its own line. Third, applying a year outside the range, such as a Western date before 1583, when the Gregorian calendar did not exist. Fourth, reading “Orthodox Easter” as one date for every Orthodox church: practice varies between churches. Fifth, forgetting that Easter sets Lent and Pentecost, so a school or business calendar that is planned from Easter moves with it each year.
Sources: U.S. Naval Observatory, Astronomical Applications FAQ, “The date of Easter” and “Calendars”; Meeus, J., Astronomical Algorithms, 2nd ed., chapter 8 (date of Easter, Meeus–Jones–Butcher algorithm). Related: date calculator, day of the week calculator, leap year calculator, calendar and moon phase calculator.