When is Father's Day in Australia?

If you have ever seen a June date for Father's Day and thought it looked wrong, you were right to. In Australia and New Zealand, Father's Day falls on the first Sunday of September, a full three months later than the date used in the UK, the US and most other countries. The next one is coming up soon, so here is the date you need. Last checked: August 2026.

When is Father's Day 2026 in Australia and New Zealand?

In Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea, Father's Day is always the first Sunday of September. In 2026 that is Sunday 6 September 2026. In 2027 it is Sunday 5 September 2027. It lands in the Southern Hemisphere spring, which is part of why it sits apart from the Northern Hemisphere date.

See every family date together on our key family dates page.

How it differs from the UK and US date

Across the UK, the US, Canada, Ireland and much of the world, Father's Day is the third Sunday of June. Australia and New Zealand are the notable exception, keeping to the first Sunday of September instead. If your family is spread across both halves of the world, that gap is worth remembering, because it means two different Sundays to plan for. Our guide to when is Father's Day in the UK and US has that date.

Australian Father's Day dates for the next ten years

Because it is always the first Sunday of September, the date moves within a seven-day window but never leaves early September. Here are the dates for the next ten years so you can plan ahead.

Where the September date comes from

Australia and New Zealand have marked Father's Day on the first Sunday of September for a very long time, choosing the local spring rather than following the American June date that Sonora Smart Dodd began in Spokane in 1910. Unlike the American day, which has a clear founder and a 1972 national proclamation, the September timing is best described as a settled Australian and New Zealand convention rather than the work of one person. What matters for planning is that it is dependable: first Sunday of September, every year.

It is worth adding the date to your calendar now, while it is in front of you. September has a habit of arriving faster than you expect. If you want ideas for what to talk about, our guide to questions to ask your dad is a gentle start, and you can see how HeartTold works in a short demo.

Making the day mean something beyond another gadget

Dads are famously hard to buy for. After a certain age the socks, the ties, the gadgets and the golf gear all start to feel like variations on the same shrug. None of it is wrong, but none of it lasts, and Father's Day is really a chance to honour the man himself: the years before you knew him, the work he was proud of, the things he never quite got round to saying.

This is the whole reason we built HeartTold. It is a way to keep your dad's stories and his voice, gathered patiently over time and kept for the whole family. One of our friendly, patient agents calls him each week, asks about his life, the people who shaped him, the moments that mattered, the advice he would want you to carry, and keeps his answers in his own voice inside a private family archive that grows every week.

The gadgets are forgotten by October. His voice, telling you who he was, is kept for good.

There is no app for him to learn and nothing complicated to set up. It is just a phone call, which for a lot of dads is exactly right. You can arrange it in minutes and give it as a gift for Father's Day this year. Everything stays private, and is never used to train AI models.

If you want this Father's Day to be the one that keeps his stories for good, you can give HeartTold as a gift today.

Related guides: when is Father's Day in the UK and US, questions to ask your dad, and life story prompts.