USFormate

USFormate is a proposed formatting convention intended to standardize the presentation of dates, numbers, currencies, addresses, and related metadata for documents and data exchanged in the United States. It is not an officially adopted standard; rather, it appears in discussions and internal documentation as a practical guideline to improve consistency across diverse systems and organizations.

Typical rules under USFormate include dates written as month/day/year (for example, 12/25/2024); numbers formatted with a comma as the thousands separator and a period as the decimal point (1,234.56); currency expressed with the dollar sign preceding the amount (for example, $1,234.56); and addresses formatted as street address, city, state abbreviation, and ZIP code (123 Main St, Anytown, CA 90210). Time is commonly represented in 12-hour format with AM/PM, while technical contexts may use 24-hour notation.

USFormate aims to improve readability and reduce ambiguity in forms, databases, and user interfaces, while facilitating data interchange between heterogeneous systems. Because it is not codified by a formal standards body, actual practice varies; organizations often balance USFormate-like conventions with internationally recognized standards such as ISO 8601 for dates or standard business document formats when exchanging data. In practice, USFormate often coexists with formal standards depending on context.