invalid input syntax for type timestamp: “…”

Symptoms

A value being converted to timestamp/timestamptz is not a recognized date-time. PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE 22007 (invalid_datetime_format) and quotes the bad value.

• Common with ambiguous or non-ISO date formats.
• Empty strings and locale-specific formats are frequent culprits.
• The current DateStyle setting affects what is accepted.

What the server log shows

ERROR:  invalid input syntax for type timestamp: "2026-13-40 99:99"

Why PostgreSQL raises this — what the manual says

Section 8.5.1 Date/Time Input:

“Date and time input is accepted in almost any reasonable format”

The timestamp input parser interprets the string according to DateStyle and field ranges. Out-of-range fields, unparseable text, or empty strings cannot form a valid timestamp and fail with 22007.

Common causes

• Out-of-range fields (month 13, hour 99).
• Empty string for a missing timestamp.
• Ambiguous day/month order conflicting with DateStyle.
• Locale or custom formats the parser does not recognize.

How to fix it

1. Send ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD HH:MI:SS) to avoid ambiguity.
2. Parse non-standard formats with to_timestamp(text, format).
3. Convert empty strings to NULL; set DateStyle appropriately for the session.

Related & next steps

• SQLSTATE 22007 — Invalid Datetime Format (full reference)
• Message: date/time field value out of range
• Glossary: Timestamp

Reference: PostgreSQL 18 Section 8.5 “Date/Time Types”.