Vault stores time data in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When a user views time information (DateTime fields), Vault displays the information in their user profile Timezone and in the format of their Locale.
When a domain user is first created, their Timezone and Locale are defaulted to the Vault Time Zone and Base Locale configured in Admin > Settings > Language & Region Settings, but Admins can select a different Timezone and Locale for the user during creation, and users can update their own Timezone and Locale in their user profile.
There are some exceptions where Vault displays DateTime information to the user in UTC, such as in signature pages.
Document and Object Fields
Vault displays document and object DateTime fields in the user’s time zone.
eSignatures
When Vault captures an eSignature, an entry action sets the Approved Date (DateTime) and saves it in the Vault Time Zone. The eSignature timestamp is stored in UTC.
When a user views eSignature information in the Vault UI, such as when viewing an object record that has an eSignature, Vault displays the signature time in the signing user’s time zone.
However, Vault displays the eSignature time on signature pages and overlay pages in UTC, because signature pages and overlay pages are not dynamically updated depending on which user is viewing the document.
Entry Actions
For entry actions, Vault saves DateTimes using the Vault Time Zone and stores the values in UTC.
Workflow Task Due Dates
Vault displays workflow task due dates in the viewing user’s time zone. The task’s status (such as whether the task is overdue) is determined based on the assigned user’s time zone.
Reports
Vault displays DateTimes in reports in the viewing user’s time zone.
Formatted Outputs
Vault displays DateTimes in formatted outputs in the time zone of the user generating the output.
Audit Trails and Audit Logs
When viewing audit trails and audit logs, Vault displays DateTimes in the Timestamp column in the viewing user’s time zone. For dates displayed in the Event Description column, Vault evaluates the dates in the context of the Vault Time Zone. For example, when the Effective Date is set using today() via an entry action (a server process), Vault uses the Vault Time Zone to determine the value of today() at the time the server process ran.
For example, in a Vault with the Vault Time Zone set to Eastern Standard Time (EST), a document’s Effective Date is set using today() via an entry action at 5:15 PM EST on March 25, 2026. When a user with a user profile Timezone of New Zealand Daylight Time (NZDT) views the Document Audit History for the document, the Event Description displays Effective Date set to “3/25/25”, while the Timestamp of the event displays 26 Mar 2026 11:15 AM NZDT. This is because today() used the Vault Time Zone (EST) to set the Effective Date, while the Timestamp for the event uses the viewing user’s time zone (NZDT).
Jobs and Daylight Saving Time
When scheduling a daily job, Vault uses the Vault Time Zone. If the Vault Time Zone observes Daylight Saving Time (DST), the job scheduler adjusts scheduled daily jobs by one hour to account for the difference.
For example, a daily job normally scheduled at 8:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8) will be rescheduled to 9:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7) once DST begins, and rescheduled back to 8:00 AM Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8) once DST ends. In relation to UTC, the job remains scheduled at 15:00 UTC, because UTC does not observe DST.
Data Calculation
When calculating dates and times using Vault formulas, the calculation may or may not perform time conversions depending on whether the formula includes multiple Date fields only, multiple DateTime fields only, or a mix of both.
For calculations involving multiple Date fields (and no DateTime fields), Vault does not perform a time zone conversion during calculation, because Date fields are not associated with a time or time zone.
For calculations involving multiple DateTime fields (and no Date fields), Vault does not perform a time zone calculation. Because the DateTIme fields are stored in UTC, the function is not affected by time zone. Vault performs a date-to-date calculation and round values to the nearest integer. For reports referencing these fields, values can include decimal places when defined to accurately reflect date differences.
For calculations involving both Date and DateTime fields, Vault converts the DateTime value from UTC to the Vault Time Zone and truncates the time portion of the value. Vault then performs the date-to-date calculation. It does not account for Daylight Saving Time (DST).
Note: Some functions accept a timezone or user parameter, which can impact whether Vault performs a time zone conversion during calculation. See documentation for individual Date and DateTime functions in the Vault Formula Reference Guide.