diff --git a/common/date.go b/common/date.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..05f207f7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/date.go
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+package common
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/pkg/errors"
+)
+
+// ParseDate parses a date string of the format YYYY-MM-DD
+func ParseDate(date string) (t time.Time, err error) {
+
+	//get the time of invoice
+	str := strings.Split(date, "-")
+	var ymd = []int{}
+	for _, i := range str {
+		j, err := strconv.Atoi(i)
+		if err != nil {
+			return t, err
+		}
+		ymd = append(ymd, j)
+	}
+	if len(ymd) != 3 {
+		return t, fmt.Errorf("Bad date parsing, not 3 segments") //never stack trace
+	}
+	if ymd[1] < 1 || ymd[1] > 12 {
+		return t, fmt.Errorf("Month not between 1 and 12") //never stack trace
+	}
+	if ymd[2] > 31 {
+		return t, fmt.Errorf("Day over 31") //never stack trace
+	}
+
+	t = time.Date(ymd[0], time.Month(ymd[1]), ymd[2], 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+
+	return t, nil
+}
+
+// ParseDateRange parses a date range string of the format start:end
+//   where the start and end date are of the format YYYY-MM-DD.
+//   The parsed dates are *time.Time and will return nil pointers for
+//   unbounded dates, ex:
+//   unbounded start:	:2000-12-31
+//	 unbounded end: 	2000-12-31:
+func ParseDateRange(dateRange string) (startDate, endDate *time.Time, err error) {
+	dates := strings.Split(dateRange, ":")
+	if len(dates) != 2 {
+		return nil, nil, errors.New("bad date range, must be in format date:date")
+	}
+	parseDate := func(date string) (*time.Time, error) {
+		if len(date) == 0 {
+			return nil, nil
+		}
+		d, err := ParseDate(date)
+		return &d, err
+	}
+	startDate, err = parseDate(dates[0])
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+	endDate, err = parseDate(dates[1])
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, nil, err
+	}
+	return
+}
diff --git a/common/date_test.go b/common/date_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..42fd91aa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/date_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,76 @@
+package common
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+)
+
+var (
+	date  = time.Date(2015, time.Month(12), 31, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+	date2 = time.Date(2016, time.Month(12), 31, 0, 0, 0, 0, time.UTC)
+)
+
+func TestParseDate(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	var testDates = []struct {
+		dateStr string
+		date    time.Time
+		errNil  bool
+	}{
+		{"2015-12-31", date, true},
+		{"2015-31-12", date, false},
+		{"12-31-2015", date, false},
+		{"31-12-2015", date, false},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range testDates {
+		parsed, err := ParseDate(test.dateStr)
+		switch test.errNil {
+		case true:
+			assert.Nil(err)
+			assert.True(parsed.Equal(test.date), "parsed: %v, want %v", parsed, test.date)
+		case false:
+			assert.NotNil(err, "parsed %v, expected err %v", parsed, err)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParseDateRange(t *testing.T) {
+	assert := assert.New(t)
+
+	var testDates = []struct {
+		dateStr string
+		start   *time.Time
+		end     *time.Time
+		errNil  bool
+	}{
+		{"2015-12-31:2016-12-31", &date, &date2, true},
+		{"2015-12-31:", &date, nil, true},
+		{":2016-12-31", nil, &date2, true},
+		{"2016-12-31", nil, nil, false},
+		{"2016-31-12:", nil, nil, false},
+		{":2016-31-12", nil, nil, false},
+	}
+
+	for _, test := range testDates {
+		start, end, err := ParseDateRange(test.dateStr)
+		switch test.errNil {
+		case true:
+			assert.Nil(err)
+			testPtr := func(want, have *time.Time) {
+				if want == nil {
+					assert.Nil(have)
+				} else {
+					assert.True((*have).Equal(*want))
+				}
+			}
+			testPtr(test.start, start)
+			testPtr(test.end, end)
+		case false:
+			assert.NotNil(err)
+		}
+	}
+}