Subtract date

Moves a date backward by an amount of time and merges the result. Use it for reminder windows, cutoff dates, and "you joined us N days ago" style messages.

Syntax

{{subtractDate date=value days=n format="..." timezone="..." culture="xx-XX"}}

It takes exactly the same settings as Add date and moves in the opposite direction.

Parameters

Name	Type	Required	Description
date	Date	Optional	The date to move backward. If you leave it out, the current date and time is used.
Amount	Number	Required	How much to subtract, given as the unit itself: minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, quarters, or years. Singular versions work too, and you can combine them.
format	Text	Optional	How the result is displayed. Defaults to your account's date format.
timezone	Text	Optional	The time zone used when no date is supplied, and when displaying a time. Defaults to your account's time zone.
culture	Text	Optional	The culture used to format the result. Defaults to your account's culture.

Examples

The examples below are based on a contact whose renewal date is June 15, 2026.

A. Thirty days before renewal

Cancel by {{subtractDate date=Contact.renewalDate days=30 format="MMMM d"}}
Cancel by May 16

B. Three months before renewal

{{subtractDate date=Contact.renewalDate months=3 format="M/d/yyyy"}}
3/15/2026

Tip: You can get the same result from Add date using a negative amount, so {{addDate date=Contact.renewalDate days=-30}} matches example A. Use whichever reads more clearly in your template.