datetime_field_overflow date out of range for type … — 22008

Symptoms

A date/time value fell outside the range a given type can represent. PostgreSQL raises SQLSTATE 22008 (datetime_field_overflow).

• The value is beyond the type’s supported min/max.
• Common with year-zero, far-future, or pre-4713 BC dates.
• May surface during casts or arithmetic.

What the server log shows

ERROR:  date out of range for type timestamp

Why PostgreSQL raises this — what the manual says

As Section 8.5 Date/Time Types (Table 8.9) explains:

Per Table 8.9, each date/time type has a fixed low and high value (for example date spans 4713 BC to 5874897 AD); a value beyond what the target type can store is reported as out of range.

Each temporal type stores values within a fixed range (for example, timestamp spans 4713 BC to 294276 AD). A value or computation outside that range cannot be represented and is rejected with 22008.

Common causes

• Date arithmetic overflowing the type’s range.
• Importing out-of-range or sentinel dates (e.g. 9999-99-99).
• Casting a wide type into a narrower one.

How to fix it

1. Validate/clamp date values before insert.
2. Use a type with a wider range if appropriate (e.g. timestamptz vs narrower types).
3. Replace sentinel/placeholder dates with NULL or valid values.

Related & next steps

• SQLSTATE 22008 — Datetime Field Overflow (full reference)
• Message: invalid input value for enum
• Glossary: Timestamp

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