Date.prototype.getUTCFullYear() returns the full year for a date in UTC (for example 1975 or 2026). It is read-only and does not change the Date.
date.getUTCFullYear()
→ absolute year in UTC (e.g. 1975, 1995, 2026)
→ NaN (if the Date is invalid)
getUTCFullYear() → year in UTC
getFullYear() → year in local time
getYear() → deprecated (year − 1900)Call date.getUTCFullYear. Start with this line.
date.getUTCFullYear()| Call | What it does |
|---|---|
date.getUTCFullYear() | Primary signature. |
date.getUTCFullYear(...) | Call with the arguments your case needs. |
Built into JavaScript. Call getUTCFullYear(...) on a Date instance — no import required.
date.getUTCFullYear()This method has no parameters beyond those shown in the signature.
| Return Value | Description |
|---|---|
| * | The value returned by date.getUTCFullYear(). |
Build a UTC instant with Date.UTC, then call getUTCFullYear().
const d = new Date(Date.UTC(1969, 6, 20)); // Jul 20, 1969 UTC
console.log(d.getUTCFullYear()); // 1969Date.UTC(1969, 6, 20) is July 20, 1969 in UTC (month index 6).Date. new Date(...) stores that instant.getUTCFullYear() returns 1969.Date is unchanged; getUTCFullYear only reads.Same wall-clock label with GMT+11 vs GMT-11 can cross New Year in UTC.
const date1 = new Date("December 31, 1975, 23:15:30 GMT+11:00");
const date2 = new Date("December 31, 1975, 23:15:30 GMT-11:00");
console.log(date1.getUTCFullYear()); // 1975
console.log(date2.getUTCFullYear()); // 19761975.1976.N in UTC — use getUTCFullYear() when UTC is the contract.getUTCFullYear() vs getFullYear()Compare UTC and local year getters on a late Dec 31 UTC instant.
const nye = new Date(Date.UTC(2025, 11, 31, 23, 30, 0));
console.log(nye.getUTCFullYear()); // 2025
console.log(nye.getFullYear()); // 2025 or 2026 (depends on TZ)Date.UTC(2025, 11, 31, 23, 30, 0) is still year 2025 in UTC.getUTCFullYear() always returns 2025 for this instant.getFullYear() can already be 2026.Date.prototype.getUTCFullYear() has been in JavaScript since ES1. It is Baseline and works in every modern browser and Node.js — no polyfill needed.
Supported everywhere Date exists: Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Internet Explorer, and all Node.js versions.
Bottom line: Safe to use in any environment. Prefer it over deprecated getYear(). See also the MDN getUTCFullYear() reference.
Learn how to read the hour of the day (0–23) from a Date in UTC.
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