diff --git a/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/Date10ParseInfo.java b/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/Date10ParseInfo.java
index 7118dc0..897a4d3 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/Date10ParseInfo.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/Date10ParseInfo.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA
 */
 package com.solab.iso8583.parse;
 
+import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
 import java.text.ParseException;
 import java.util.Calendar;
 import java.util.Date;
@@ -44,7 +45,7 @@ public class Date10ParseInfo extends FieldParseInfo {
 	@Override
 	public <T> IsoValue<Date> parse(final int field, final byte[] buf,
                                 final int pos, final CustomField<T> custom)
-			throws ParseException {
+			throws ParseException, UnsupportedEncodingException {
 		if (pos < 0) {
 			throw new ParseException(String.format("Invalid DATE10 field %d position %d",
                     field, pos), pos);
@@ -57,12 +58,20 @@ public class Date10ParseInfo extends FieldParseInfo {
 		//we have to use the current date for reference and change what comes in the buffer
 		Calendar cal = Calendar.getInstance();
 		//Set the month in the date
-		cal.set(Calendar.MONTH, ((buf[pos] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 1] - 49);
-		cal.set(Calendar.DATE, ((buf[pos + 2] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 3] - 48);
-		cal.set(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY, ((buf[pos + 4] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 5] - 48);
-		cal.set(Calendar.MINUTE, ((buf[pos + 6] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 7] - 48);
-		cal.set(Calendar.SECOND, ((buf[pos + 8] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 9] - 48);
-		cal.set(Calendar.MILLISECOND,0);
+        if (forceStringDecoding) {
+            cal.set(Calendar.MONTH, Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos, 2, getCharacterEncoding()), 10)-1);
+            cal.set(Calendar.DATE, Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos+2, 2, getCharacterEncoding()), 10));
+            cal.set(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY, Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos+4, 2, getCharacterEncoding()), 10));
+            cal.set(Calendar.MINUTE, Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos+6, 2, getCharacterEncoding()), 10));
+            cal.set(Calendar.SECOND, Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos+8, 2, getCharacterEncoding()), 10));
+        } else {
+            cal.set(Calendar.MONTH, ((buf[pos] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 1] - 49);
+            cal.set(Calendar.DATE, ((buf[pos + 2] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 3] - 48);
+            cal.set(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY, ((buf[pos + 4] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 5] - 48);
+            cal.set(Calendar.MINUTE, ((buf[pos + 6] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 7] - 48);
+            cal.set(Calendar.SECOND, ((buf[pos + 8] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 9] - 48);
+        }
+        cal.set(Calendar.MILLISECOND,0);
 		adjustWithFutureTolerance(cal);
 		return new IsoValue<Date>(type, cal.getTime(), null);
 	}
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/Date4ParseInfo.java b/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/Date4ParseInfo.java
index 3fa3c06..d7ac44c 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/Date4ParseInfo.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/Date4ParseInfo.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA
 */
 package com.solab.iso8583.parse;
 
+import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
 import java.text.ParseException;
 import java.util.Calendar;
 import java.util.Date;
@@ -38,7 +39,8 @@ public class Date4ParseInfo extends FieldParseInfo {
 
 	@Override
 	public <T> IsoValue<Date> parse(final int field, final byte[] buf, final int pos,
-                                final CustomField<T> custom) throws ParseException {
+                                final CustomField<T> custom)
+            throws ParseException, UnsupportedEncodingException {
 		if (pos < 0) {
 			throw new ParseException(String.format("Invalid DATE4 field %d position %d",
                     field, pos), pos);
@@ -53,8 +55,13 @@ public class Date4ParseInfo extends FieldParseInfo {
 		cal.set(Calendar.SECOND, 0);
 		cal.set(Calendar.MILLISECOND, 0);
 		//Set the month in the date
-		cal.set(Calendar.MONTH, ((buf[pos] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 1] - 49);
-		cal.set(Calendar.DATE, ((buf[pos + 2] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 3] - 48);
+        if (forceStringDecoding) {
+            cal.set(Calendar.MONTH, Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos, 2, getCharacterEncoding()), 10)-1);
+            cal.set(Calendar.DATE, Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos+2, 2, getCharacterEncoding()), 10));
+        } else {
+            cal.set(Calendar.MONTH, ((buf[pos] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 1] - 49);
+            cal.set(Calendar.DATE, ((buf[pos + 2] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 3] - 48);
+        }
 		Date10ParseInfo.adjustWithFutureTolerance(cal);
 		return new IsoValue<Date>(type, cal.getTime(), null);
 	}
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/DateExpParseInfo.java b/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/DateExpParseInfo.java
index 8e6ef9a..a72c3fb 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/DateExpParseInfo.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/DateExpParseInfo.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA
 */
 package com.solab.iso8583.parse;
 
+import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
 import java.text.ParseException;
 import java.util.Calendar;
 import java.util.Date;
@@ -39,7 +40,7 @@ public class DateExpParseInfo extends FieldParseInfo {
 	@Override
 	public <T> IsoValue<Date> parse(final int field, final byte[] buf,
                                 final int pos, final CustomField<T> custom)
-            throws ParseException {
+            throws ParseException, UnsupportedEncodingException {
 		if (pos < 0) {
 			throw new ParseException(String.format("Invalid DATE_EXP field %d position %d",
                     field, pos), pos);
@@ -54,9 +55,15 @@ public class DateExpParseInfo extends FieldParseInfo {
 		cal.set(Calendar.SECOND, 0);
 		cal.set(Calendar.DATE, 1);
 		//Set the month in the date
-		cal.set(Calendar.YEAR, cal.get(Calendar.YEAR) - (cal.get(Calendar.YEAR) % 100)
-				+ ((buf[pos] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 1] - 48);
-		cal.set(Calendar.MONTH, ((buf[pos + 2] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 3] - 49);
+        if (forceStringDecoding) {
+            cal.set(Calendar.YEAR, cal.get(Calendar.YEAR) - (cal.get(Calendar.YEAR) % 100)
+                    + Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos, 2, getCharacterEncoding())));
+            cal.set(Calendar.MONTH, Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos+2, 2, getCharacterEncoding()))-1);
+        } else {
+            cal.set(Calendar.YEAR, cal.get(Calendar.YEAR) - (cal.get(Calendar.YEAR) % 100)
+                    + ((buf[pos] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 1] - 48);
+            cal.set(Calendar.MONTH, ((buf[pos + 2] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 3] - 49);
+        }
 		return new IsoValue<Date>(type, cal.getTime(), null);
 	}
 
diff --git a/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/TimeParseInfo.java b/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/TimeParseInfo.java
index acd4e22..9af3ad6 100644
--- a/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/TimeParseInfo.java
+++ b/src/main/java/com/solab/iso8583/parse/TimeParseInfo.java
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA  02110-1301, USA
 */
 package com.solab.iso8583.parse;
 
+import java.io.UnsupportedEncodingException;
 import java.text.ParseException;
 import java.util.Calendar;
 import java.util.Date;
@@ -40,7 +41,7 @@ public class TimeParseInfo extends FieldParseInfo {
 	@Override
 	public <T> IsoValue<Date> parse(final int field, final byte[] buf,
                                 final int pos, final CustomField<T> custom)
-            throws ParseException {
+            throws ParseException, UnsupportedEncodingException {
 		if (pos < 0) {
 			throw new ParseException(String.format("Invalid TIME field %d pos %d",
                     field, pos), pos);
@@ -49,9 +50,15 @@ public class TimeParseInfo extends FieldParseInfo {
                     "Insufficient data for TIME field %d, pos %d", field, pos), pos);
 		}
 		Calendar cal = Calendar.getInstance();
-		cal.set(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY, ((buf[pos] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 1] - 48);
-		cal.set(Calendar.MINUTE, ((buf[pos + 2] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 3] - 48);
-		cal.set(Calendar.SECOND, ((buf[pos + 4] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 5] - 48);
+        if (forceStringDecoding) {
+            cal.set(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY, Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos, 2, getCharacterEncoding()), 10));
+            cal.set(Calendar.MINUTE, Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos+2, 2, getCharacterEncoding()), 10));
+            cal.set(Calendar.SECOND, Integer.parseInt(new String(buf, pos+4, 2, getCharacterEncoding()), 10));
+        } else {
+            cal.set(Calendar.HOUR_OF_DAY, ((buf[pos] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 1] - 48);
+            cal.set(Calendar.MINUTE, ((buf[pos + 2] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 3] - 48);
+            cal.set(Calendar.SECOND, ((buf[pos + 4] - 48) * 10) + buf[pos + 5] - 48);
+        }
 		return new IsoValue<Date>(type, cal.getTime(), null);
 	}