- var_dump: documentation ( source)
<?php
$cutoff_time = '17:00';
$now = new DateTime;
$cutoff = DateTime::createFromFormat('H:i', $cutoff_time);
var_dump(
$now->format('Y-m-d H:i:s'),
$cutoff->format('Y-m-d H:i:s'),
$cutoff->diff($now)
);