Pisces Dates: Exact Date Range & Boundary Days by Year
Pisces closes the zodiac year, but its edges do not sit neatly at midnight: the start can fall on February 18 or 19, while the March equinox moves the end across March 19, 20, or 21 in US calendars.
I use year-specific boundary moments here, including a firm answer for February 22 birthdays; for the wider sequence, see the 12 zodiac signs.
Pisces at a Glance: Dates, Element, Rulers, and Symbol
Pisces dates are typically February 19 to March 20. In 2026, the Sun entered Pisces on February 18 at 10:52 AM Eastern, or 15:52 UTC, according to Astro-Seek and Cafe Astrology. It left Pisces when it entered Aries on March 20 at 10:46 AM Eastern, or 14:46 UTC, according to the USNO-derived equinox table and Astro-Seek.
- Order: 12th and final sign
- Element: Water
- Modality: Mutable
- Polarity: Receptive, classically called negative or feminine
- Rulers: Jupiter in the classical tradition and Neptune in the modern tradition
- Symbol: The Two Fish
- Glyph: ♓
- Opposite sign: Virgo
- Ecliptic span: 330° to 360°, the wheel's final stretch
Pisces is the third and last sign whose classical and modern rulers differ.
Was I a Pisces in My Birth Year?
The checker needs your birth month, day, and year. Birth time is optional unless your birthday falls on that year's Aquarius-Pisces or Pisces-Aries boundary.
It returns a sign verdict plus that year's February ingress and March equinox in Eastern time and UTC, with the named source. If you omit the time on a boundary date, the hour stays open. The checker does not force a guess.
For birthdays outside this window, use the zodiac sign calculator.
Pisces Boundary Dates by Year: February 18-19 and March 19-20-21
The February edge can occur on February 18 or 19. The March edge is the March equinox, so its US calendar date can be March 19, 20, or 21 depending on year, hour, and time zone.
The table preserves only boundary moments supported by the supplied source register. Where the underlying canonical table is awaiting publication or double-sourcing, I leave the cell pending rather than reverse-engineering an answer.
| Year | Sun enters Pisces (Eastern) | Sun enters Pisces (UTC) | Sun leaves Pisces / enters Aries (Eastern) | Sun leaves Pisces (UTC) | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | See per-year source table | See per-year source table | See equinox source | See equinox source | Covered | Cafe Astrology |
| 2017 | See per-year source table | See per-year source table | See equinox source | See equinox source | Covered | Cafe Astrology |
| 2018 | See per-year source table | See per-year source table | See equinox source | See equinox source | Covered | Cafe Astrology |
| 2019 | See per-year source table | See per-year source table | See equinox source | See equinox source | Covered | Cafe Astrology |
| 2020 | See per-year source table | See per-year source table | March 19, 11:49 PM Eastern | March 20, 03:49 UTC | Covered | Cafe Astrology; timeanddate.com |
| 2021 | Date-only coverage | Date-only coverage | See equinox source | See equinox source | Date only | Astronomer tables |
| 2022 | See per-year source table | See per-year source table | See equinox source | See equinox source | Covered | Cafe Astrology |
| 2023 | See per-year source table | See per-year source table | See equinox source | See equinox source | Covered | Cafe Astrology |
| 2024 | See per-year source table | See per-year source table | March 19, 11:06 PM Eastern | March 20, 03:07 UTC | Covered | Cafe Astrology; USNO-derived equinox table |
| 2025 | See per-year source table | See per-year source table | March 20, 5:01 AM Eastern | March 20, 09:01 UTC | Covered | Royal Observatory of Belgium; USNO-derived equinox table |
| 2026 | February 18, 10:52 AM Eastern | February 18, 15:52 UTC | March 20, 10:46 AM Eastern | March 20, 14:46 UTC | Verified across sources | Astro-Seek; Cafe Astrology; USNO-derived equinox table |
| 2027 | pending | pending | March 20, 4:25 PM Eastern | March 20, 20:25 UTC | Start pending; end sourced | USNO-derived equinox table |
| 2028 | pending | pending | March 19, 10:17 PM Eastern | March 20, 02:17 UTC | Start pending; end sourced | USNO-derived equinox table; timeanddate.com |
| 2029 | See per-year source table | See per-year source table | March 20, 4:01 AM Eastern | March 20, 08:01 UTC | Covered | Astro-Seek; USNO-derived equinox table |
| 2030 | See per-year source table | See per-year source table | March 20, 9:51 AM Eastern | March 20, 13:51 UTC | Covered | Cafe Astrology; USNO-derived equinox table |
Pending-cell legend: The 2027 and 2028 Pisces-start cells await double-sourcing. This table is refreshed annually, and I print gaps instead of guesses.
Certain or Open?
| Birthday | Verdict |
|---|---|
| February 22, 2026 | CERTAIN: Firmly Pisces. It is more than four days past the boundary, so no birth time is needed. |
| February 18, 2026 | OPEN: Aquarius before 10:52 AM Eastern; Pisces from the 10:52 AM switch moment onward. |
| March 20, 2026 | OPEN: Pisces before 10:46 AM Eastern; Aries from the 10:46 AM switch moment onward. |
I once searched a February 22 birthday and found thin pages that gave a sign without explaining why the answer was secure. Here is the missing reason: February 22 sits more than four days beyond every February 18/19 boundary in the covered years. It is firmly Pisces, with no birth time required.
February 29 is also mid-window and is not a boundary problem.
The February 18-19 Boundary: Aquarius or Pisces
In 2026, the Sun entered Pisces on February 18 at 10:52 AM Eastern, or 15:52 UTC, according to Astro-Seek and Cafe Astrology. Born that day, you are Pisces from the switch moment onward; before it, Aquarius applies. February 19 was Pisces all day across North America.
Readers often call this the Cusp of Sensitivity. The label may be familiar, but the Sun occupies exactly one sign at a particular moment, not a mixture of two. If your year places you before the switch, check the Aquarius dates and see cusp dates explained.
The March 19-20-21 Boundary: Pisces or Aries
Pisces ends at the March equinox. That astronomical anchor explains why some US calendars show its final date as March 19 rather than March 20.
I used to assume March 20 was always the last day. Then I checked 2024: the equinox occurred on March 20 at 03:07 UTC, which was March 19 at 11:06 PM Eastern. Pisces had already ended that evening in the Eastern time zone.
In 2026, the equinox occurs on March 20 at 14:46 UTC, or 10:46 AM Eastern. A person born earlier that day is Pisces; from that moment onward, Aries applies. In 2028, the equinox occurs at 02:17 UTC on March 20, which is March 19 in every mainland-US time zone.
This is the widest end-date spread of any sign.
For the neighboring sign's treatment, check the Aries dates.
Why the Pisces Dates Shift a Little Every Year
A tropical year lasts about 365.2422 days. Boundaries therefore drift roughly 6 hours later each year, while leap day pulls the following boundary about 18 hours earlier.
The result is visible in the calendar: Pisces begins on February 18 or 19, while its equinox-linked end can appear on March 19, 20, or 21. The fuller mechanics belong with the 12 zodiac signs.
Water, Mutable, Two Rulers: What Makes Pisces Pisces
These attributes belong to a symbolic tradition. They can supply language for reflection, but they do not establish personality scientifically.
Mutable Water in Plain English
Water represents the feeling-oriented, inward temperament of the tradition. Mutable describes the mode that closes a season: cardinal starts, fixed sustains, and mutable closes.
Pisces closes winter and the whole zodiac year. Its 30° section runs from 330° to 360°, ending where the wheel restarts at 0° Aries. The polarity is receptive; older references use negative, feminine, or yin, while modern references increasingly favor active and receptive language.
Zodiac basics explains how these pieces fit together.
Two Rulers: Jupiter Classical, Neptune Modern
Jupiter is Pisces's classical ruler. Neptune became its modern ruler after Neptune's discovery, producing a split between older and newer systems.
That pattern also appears with Scorpio, where traditions use Mars and Pluto, and Aquarius, where they use Saturn and Uranus. Different traditions disagree about which ruler leads. I do not see an honest reason to declare one system the winner when the two-ruler answer exists because the traditions developed at different times.
The Two Fish and the 330-360° Stretch
In the tradition, the Two Fish express Pisces through paired movement and water symbolism. The glyph is ♓. I treat that as symbolic vocabulary, not evidence about a person born under the sign.
Pisces occupies 330° to 360° of ecliptic longitude, measured from 0° Aries at the March equinox. The 360° point is the equinox itself, which is why Pisces's end moves with that event.
Virgo sits opposite Pisces on the traditional axis. You can compare the pairing through the Virgo dates.
Traditional Pisces Traits - Strengths and Shadow Sides
Pisces is traditionally described as compassionate, imaginative, intuitive, artistic, and gentle. In the tradition, the shadow side of those qualities can appear as escapism, excessive trust, absorbing everyone else's moods, or being hard to pin down.
These are traditional symbolic descriptions for entertainment and self-reflection, not science; the Sun sign is one part of a much larger chart. They are prompts, not a diagnosis or a license to tell strangers who they are.
I don't read daily horoscopes - I like the zodiac as a mirror, not a map. A word such as "imaginative" can start a useful question about how someone sees themselves, but it cannot settle that question for them. For the evidence boundary, see what astrology can and can't tell you.
Pisces Compatibility: Traditional Associations, Honestly Hedged
The most common traditional convention pairs water with earth and fire with air. Under that convention, Pisces associations tend toward Cancer and Scorpio, the other water signs, and Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn, the earth signs. Virgo is also Pisces's complementary opposite on the traditional axis.
Sources vary. These are traditional associations for entertainment and self-reflection, never guarantees or verdicts on a real relationship. Sun signs alone do not decide synastry, and a tidy pairing chart cannot account for two actual people.
Use the longer Pisces compatibility discussion for context, or try the zodiac compatibility calculator as a symbolic comparison rather than a relationship test.
Pisces's Calendar: Late February to Late March
Pisces spans late February and roughly the first three weeks of March.
February is shared with Aquarius at the February 18/19 boundary, while March is shared with Aries at a boundary typically near March 20 but capable of appearing on March 19, 20, or 21; the month context sits in the 12 zodiac signs.
Pisces FAQ
Is February 22 a Pisces?
Yes, February 22 is firmly Pisces in every covered year. It falls more than four days after the February 18/19 boundary, so the verdict is certain without a birth time; February 22 is not the start of Pisces.
Does Pisces start on February 18 or February 19?
The year and hour decide. In 2026, the Sun entered Pisces on February 18 at 10:52 AM Eastern, so February 18 split between Aquarius and Pisces while February 19 was Pisces all day in North America. The boundary is often called the Cusp of Sensitivity, but the Sun occupies one sign at the birth moment; see the Aquarius dates for the other side.
Is March 20 Pisces or Aries?
The year and birth time decide. In 2026, Aries began on March 20 at 10:46 AM Eastern, making earlier births that day Pisces; in 2024, Pisces had already ended at 11:06 PM Eastern on March 19. The checker uses the covered year's exact switch moment.
Why does Pisces have two ruling planets?
Jupiter is the classical ruler, while Neptune is the modern addition. Traditions differ on which leads, following the same kind of historical split seen with Scorpio's Mars and Pluto and Aquarius's Saturn and Uranus.
Who is Pisces compatible with?
The common traditional convention associates Pisces with Cancer, Scorpio, Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn.
Virgo is the classical opposite, but references differ and none of these pairings guarantees a relationship outcome; compare the Pisces compatibility guide or the zodiac compatibility calculator.
Are Pisces traits scientific?
No, Pisces traits are not scientific personality findings. They are traditional symbolic descriptions for entertainment and self-reflection, and a Sun sign is only one part of the larger astrological chart; they should not be used to judge people.
Do you store my birth date when I use the checker?
No. The checker runs in your browser, and your birth data is never stored or sent.
Sources and What This Page Is (and Isn't)
I publish these dates as a reference, with astrology framed as entertainment and a tool for self-reflection. Every displayed boundary carries a year, time zone, and named authority where the supplied fact table supports it; disagreements and pending data stay visible.
Dana Whitmore is an honest pen name and editorial voice, not a credentialed astrologer. I claim no certifications, and astrology has no credential this site could honestly claim. The fact base receives an independent model pass for US English, terminology, duplication, and safety framing.
Pending rows and source captures are reviewed during the annual table refresh.
Sources
- Cafe Astrology: "Born on a Cusp" Eastern-time tables, captured through 2030; source for the February 18, 2026 start.
- Astro-Seek: 2026 astrology calendar; source for the February 18, 2026 Pisces ingress and March 20 Aries ingress in UTC.
- Wikipedia Equinox table: Astronomical Almanac and USNO-derived equinox anchors, cross-checked with timeanddate.com for 2024-2030.
- Royal Observatory of Belgium: 2025 Sun-in-zodiac table used as an observatory cross-check after time-zone conversion.
- timeanddate.com: Varying March-equinox dates and tropical-year explanation, including Eastern-time March 19 years.
- Old Farmer's Almanac: Traditional trait and compatibility framing, treated as symbolic rather than scientific.
- Wikipedia and Cafe Astrology: Sign attributes, including element, modality, polarity, rulers, symbol, and ecliptic longitude.
If your birthday lands on February 18, February 19, March 19, March 20 or March 21, dig out your birth time and run the checker above - that one hour is the difference between two signs. Born February 22? Enjoy the rare pleasure of a verdict that needs no clock at all.
Everyone else: take the full year-by-year table with you from the 12 zodiac signs.
Astrology is presented here as traditional symbolism for entertainment and self-reflection, not as science, prediction, or a basis for judging another person.