Printemplates

Does the Week Start on Sunday or Monday? How to Choose for Your Calendar

By the Printemplates team at OWL App ยท

It depends on where you are. In the United States and Canada, calendars usually start the week on Sunday. In the UK, most of Europe, and Australia, they start on Monday, which is also what the international standard ISO 8601 says. Pick up a wall calendar in New York and one in London, and the first column will differ. Neither is wrong: they come from different traditions, and the right choice for your own calendar depends on how your week actually runs.

Is Sunday the first day of the week?

In the Jewish and Christian calendar tradition, yes. In the ISO 8601 standard, no: Monday is day 1 and Sunday is day 7. Both answers are in everyday use, which is why the question keeps coming up. American wall calendars and calendar apps set to US English follow the first answer. Most European calendars and work schedules follow the second.

Where the Sunday start comes from

Sunday is the first day of the week in Jewish and Christian tradition, and Saturday, the Jewish Sabbath, is the seventh. Many languages still reflect this: in Portuguese, Monday is segunda-feira, the "second day". The United States, Canada, Japan, Brazil, and several other countries kept this convention for printed calendars, and it is the default in many American apps.

Where the Monday start comes from

The working week pulled calendars the other way. When the weekend became Saturday and Sunday, it made sense to keep both days together at the end of the row. The international standard for dates and times, ISO 8601, defines Monday as the first day of the week, and most of Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and many other countries use a Monday start.

The ISO standard also defines week numbers, which only work cleanly with a Monday start. If your workplace talks about "week 14" or "week 37", a Monday-first calendar will match. Our guide to ISO week numbers explains how those are counted.

A simple test for choosing

Ask yourself where the weekend feels like it belongs:

  • Choose Monday if you think of the weekend as one block at the end of the week, plan work in week numbers, or share schedules with people in Europe or Australia.
  • Choose Sunday if your calendars, school, or church schedules already use it, or if you plan the week ahead on Sunday and like to see that day first.

For a family calendar, the most important thing is consistency. If the school sends home a Sunday-first calendar and your fridge calendar starts on Monday, someone will eventually write an appointment in the wrong column.

What our calendars use by default

Every monthly and yearly calendar on Printemplates is available with both starts. The defaults follow local habits: Sunday for the US, Canada, and blank sets, and Monday for the England and Wales set and the Australia set. Each calendar page has the other start in its download box, so you can switch without leaving the page.

What about Saturday?

In some countries in the Middle East, the working week runs from Sunday to Thursday, and some printed calendars there start on Saturday. Our calendars currently offer Monday and Sunday starts only.

Short answer

Match the people you share your schedule with. In the US and Canada that usually means Sunday. In the UK, Europe, and Australia it usually means Monday. Browse the printable calendars, including the 2027 collection, and pick the start that fits.

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