diff --git a/frontend/format.test.mjs b/frontend/format.test.mjs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ac50218
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/format.test.mjs
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/**
+ * Date parsing — wall-clock digits vs UTC instants.
+ *
+ *   node format.test.mjs
+ *
+ * Graph receivedDateTime is always UTC (…Z). toDate() prints those digits as
+ * written (7:52). toInstant() converts to the browser timezone the way Outlook
+ * does (12:52 in Pakistan).
+ */
+import { fmtTime, toDate, toInstant } from './src/lib/format.js'
+
+let failed = 0
+function eq(actual, expected, label) {
+  if (Object.is(actual, expected)) return
+  failed += 1
+  console.error(`FAIL ${label}\n  expected: ${JSON.stringify(expected)}\n  actual:   ${JSON.stringify(actual)}`)
+}
+
+const GRAPH = '2026-09-07T07:52:00Z'
+const GRAPH_NAKED = '2026-09-07T07:52:00'
+const GRAPH_OFFSET = '2026-09-07T07:52:00+00:00'
+
+eq(toDate(null), null, 'toDate(null)')
+eq(toInstant(null), null, 'toInstant(null)')
+eq(toDate(''), null, 'toDate empty')
+eq(toInstant('not-a-date'), null, 'toInstant garbage')
+
+const wall = toDate(GRAPH)
+eq(wall instanceof Date, true, 'toDate returns Date')
+eq(wall.getHours(), 7, 'toDate ignores Z — hour is the stored digit')
+eq(wall.getMinutes(), 52, 'toDate minutes')
+
+const instant = toInstant(GRAPH)
+eq(instant instanceof Date, true, 'toInstant returns Date')
+eq(instant.getTime(), Date.parse(GRAPH), 'toInstant is the UTC instant')
+eq(toInstant(GRAPH_NAKED).getTime(), Date.parse(GRAPH), 'Graph without Z is still UTC')
+eq(toInstant(GRAPH_OFFSET).getTime(), Date.parse(GRAPH), 'Graph +00:00 is UTC')
+
+eq(fmtTime(wall), '7:52am', 'fmtTime(toDate) prints stored digits')
+eq(fmtTime(instant), fmtTime(new Date(GRAPH)), 'fmtTime(toInstant) matches local clock')
+
+if (new Date().getTimezoneOffset() !== 0) {
+  eq(fmtTime(instant) === fmtTime(wall), false, 'non-UTC zone: instant display differs from wall-clock')
+}
+
+if (failed) {
+  console.error(`\n${failed} failed`)
+  process.exit(1)
+}
+console.log('format.test.mjs ok')
diff --git a/frontend/package.json b/frontend/package.json
index c3b0f70..f06b864 100644
--- a/frontend/package.json
+++ b/frontend/package.json
@@ -11,11 +11,12 @@
     "smoke": "node smoke.test.mjs",
     "test:token": "node token.test.mjs",
     "test:theme": "node theme.test.mjs",
+    "test:format": "node format.test.mjs",
     "test:inbox": "node inbox-loading.test.mjs",
     "test:candidates": "node candidates-table.test.mjs",
     "test:cvbank": "node cvbank.test.mjs",
     "test:mobile": "node mobile.test.mjs",
-    "verify": "vite build && node smoke.test.mjs && node token.test.mjs && node theme.test.mjs && node inbox-loading.test.mjs && node candidates-table.test.mjs && node cvbank.test.mjs"
+    "verify": "vite build && node smoke.test.mjs && node token.test.mjs && node theme.test.mjs && node format.test.mjs && node inbox-loading.test.mjs && node candidates-table.test.mjs && node cvbank.test.mjs"
   },
   "dependencies": {
     "@tanstack/react-query": "^5.101.4",
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/format.js b/frontend/src/lib/format.js
index b227af9..c4433da 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/format.js
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/format.js
@@ -52,6 +52,36 @@ export function toDate(value) {
   return d
 }
 
+const HAS_OFFSET = /[zZ]|[+-]\d{2}:?\d{2}$/
+
+/**
+ * Parse a UTC instant (Graph receivedDateTime, timestamptz) into a Date
+ * whose local clock matches the browser — the same conversion Outlook does.
+ *
+ * toDate() is wall-clock: it prints the stored digits and ignores Z/+00:00.
+ * Graph always stores UTC, so that path shows 7:52 when Outlook shows 12:52
+ * in Pakistan (UTC+5). Only call this for fields that are actually UTC.
+ */
+export function toInstant(value) {
+  if (value == null || value === '') return null
+  if (value instanceof Date) {
+    return Number.isNaN(value.getTime()) ? null : value
+  }
+  if (typeof value === 'number' && Number.isFinite(value)) {
+    const d = new Date(value)
+    return Number.isNaN(d.getTime()) ? null : d
+  }
+  let s = String(value).trim()
+  if (!s) return null
+  if (/^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}[ T]\d/.test(s) && !HAS_OFFSET.test(s)) {
+    s = `${s.replace(' ', 'T')}Z`
+  } else {
+    s = s.replace(' ', 'T')
+  }
+  const d = new Date(s)
+  return Number.isNaN(d.getTime()) ? null : d
+}
+
 function ordinal(n) {
   const v = n % 100
   if (v >= 11 && v <= 13) return `${n}th`
diff --git a/frontend/src/screens/Inbox.jsx b/frontend/src/screens/Inbox.jsx
index f97623e..e4246c0 100644
--- a/frontend/src/screens/Inbox.jsx
+++ b/frontend/src/screens/Inbox.jsx
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ import { useAuth } from '../auth/AuthContext'
 import { seedQuery, useSeedMutation } from '../data/seedQueries'
 import { qk } from '../lib/queryKeys'
 import { exportStyledXlsx } from '../lib/exportXlsx'
-import { formatRole, fmtDate, fmtDateTime, fmtTime, toDate } from '../lib/format'
+import { formatRole, fmtDate, fmtDateTime, fmtTime, toDate, toInstant } from '../lib/format'
 import { PreviousApplications, ReappliedBadge } from '../components/ReapplicantHistory'
 import { friendlyAuthError } from '../lib/errors'
 import * as inboxApi from '../api/inbox'
@@ -144,14 +144,21 @@ const FORM_PROCESSING_LABEL = {
 const SERVER_SCOPED_TABS = new Set(TABS)
 
 /**
- * message_received_time / message_sent_time are plain string columns
- * (backend/inbox/models.py:54-56), not timestamps. Unparseable values
+ * Sheet / date-of-birth values are wall-clock digits. Unparseable values
  * become null — never "Invalid Date".
  */
 function parseDate(value) {
   return toDate(value)
 }
 
+/**
+ * Outlook Graph sentDateTime / receivedDateTime are UTC instants (…Z).
+ * toDate() would print 7:52 when Outlook shows 12:52 in Pakistan.
+ */
+function parseGraphDate(value) {
+  return toInstant(value)
+}
+
 /**
  * `source` arrives as the raw To address, because that is where the board tag
  * lands — careers-rozee@, employee-referral@, mustakbil@ and so on. Strip
@@ -417,7 +424,7 @@ async function fetchMessageDetail(recordId) {
     email: row.fromEmail || '',
     position: row.subject || '(no subject)',
     ...sourceFrom(row.message_to),
-    received: parseDate(row.when) ?? parseDate(row.message_sent_time),
+    received: parseGraphDate(row.when) ?? parseGraphDate(row.message_sent_time),
     unread: Boolean(row.unread),
     processing: row.unread ? 'Unread' : 'Read',
     resumeStatus: RESUME_STATUS[row.match_status] ?? 'Pending',
@@ -428,7 +435,7 @@ async function fetchMessageDetail(recordId) {
     bodyHtml: row.body || '',
     cc: row.message_cc || '',
     bcc: row.message_bcc || '',
-    sentAt: parseDate(row.message_sent_time),
+    sentAt: parseGraphDate(row.message_sent_time),
     files: Array.isArray(row.files) ? row.files : [],
     filePath: row.file_path || '',
     linkedinSlug: row.linkedin_slug || '',
@@ -437,7 +444,7 @@ async function fetchMessageDetail(recordId) {
     matchSummary: row.match_summary || '',
     matchReasoning: row.match_reasoning || '',
     matchError: row.match_error || '',
-    matchedAt: parseDate(row.matched_at),
+    matchedAt: parseGraphDate(row.matched_at),
     resumeText: row.resume_text || '',
     suggestedIds: Array.isArray(row.suggested_job_post_ids)
       ? row.suggested_job_post_ids.map(String)
@@ -473,7 +480,7 @@ async function fetchApplications(params) {
         email: row.email || '',
         position: row.position || '(no subject)',
         ...sourceFrom(row.source),
-        received: parseDate(row.received),
+        received: parseGraphDate(row.received),
         unread: Boolean(row.unread),
         processing: row.processing || 'Unread',
         processingState: row.processing_state || null,