How to use this page
- 1
Check your region
It's picked automatically from your device's time zone. Change it if you want another country's dates.
- 2
See the next change
The date, the direction (forward or back) and the exact local time of the next clock change.
- 3
Plan ahead
Use the tables below to see the dates for the next six years.
United States and Canada
Daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March at 2:00 AM, when clocks jump to 3:00 AM, and ends on the first Sunday in November at 2:00 AM, when clocks fall back to 1:00 AM. These dates have been in place since 2007, when the Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended daylight time by about a month.
| Year | Starts (clocks forward) | Ends (clocks back) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mar 8, 2026 | Nov 1, 2026 |
| 2027 | Mar 14, 2027 | Nov 7, 2027 |
| 2028 | Mar 12, 2028 | Nov 5, 2028 |
| 2029 | Mar 11, 2029 | Nov 4, 2029 |
| 2030 | Mar 10, 2030 | Nov 3, 2030 |
| 2031 | Mar 9, 2031 | Nov 2, 2031 |
United Kingdom and Europe
In the UK, British Summer Time (BST) starts on the last Sunday in March at 1:00 AM GMT and ends on the last Sunday in October at 2:00 AM BST. The EU changes at the same moment, 1:00 AM UTC, which is 2:00 AM in Central European countries like France and Germany.
| Year | Starts (clocks forward) | Ends (clocks back) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Mar 29, 2026 | Oct 25, 2026 |
| 2027 | Mar 28, 2027 | Oct 31, 2027 |
| 2028 | Mar 26, 2028 | Oct 29, 2028 |
| 2029 | Mar 25, 2029 | Oct 28, 2029 |
| 2030 | Mar 31, 2030 | Oct 27, 2030 |
| 2031 | Mar 30, 2031 | Oct 26, 2031 |
Australia
In the southern hemisphere the seasons are reversed. Daylight saving runs from the first Sunday in October at 2:00 AM standard time to the first Sunday in April at 3:00 AM daylight time, in New South Wales, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania and South Australia.
| Year | Ends in April (clocks back) | Starts in October (clocks forward) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Apr 5, 2026 | Oct 4, 2026 |
| 2027 | Apr 4, 2027 | Oct 3, 2027 |
| 2028 | Apr 2, 2028 | Oct 1, 2028 |
| 2029 | Apr 1, 2029 | Oct 7, 2029 |
| 2030 | Apr 7, 2030 | Oct 6, 2030 |
| 2031 | Apr 6, 2031 | Oct 5, 2031 |
Time differences change too
Because the US, Europe and Australia change on different dates, the time difference between them shifts for a few weeks each year. Between the second Sunday in March and the last Sunday in March, New York is only 4 hours behind London instead of the usual 5. The same happens in late October and early November. Double-check meeting times across the Atlantic during those weeks.
| Period | New York → London | London → Sydney |
|---|---|---|
| January to early March | 5 hours | 11 hours |
| Mid to late March | 4 hours | 11 hours |
| April to late October | 5 hours | 9 or 10 hours |
| Late October to early November | 4 hours | 11 hours |
Time zone names during daylight saving
The abbreviation for your time zone changes when the clocks change. Using the right one avoids confusion in meeting invites.
| Region | Standard time | Daylight time |
|---|---|---|
| US & Canada Eastern | EST (UTC−5) | EDT (UTC−4) |
| US & Canada Central | CST (UTC−6) | CDT (UTC−5) |
| US & Canada Mountain | MST (UTC−7) | MDT (UTC−6) |
| US & Canada Pacific | PST (UTC−8) | PDT (UTC−7) |
| United Kingdom | GMT (UTC+0) | BST (UTC+1) |
| Central Europe | CET (UTC+1) | CEST (UTC+2) |
| Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, Hobart | AEST (UTC+10) | AEDT (UTC+11) |
| Adelaide | ACST (UTC+9:30) | ACDT (UTC+10:30) |
If you're not sure which applies, writing “Eastern Time” or “UK time” is always correct, because it means whatever the local clock says on that date.
Countries that don't change their clocks
Most of the world doesn't use daylight saving time. It's mainly used in North America, Europe, parts of the Middle East, and southern Australia, New Zealand and Chile in the southern hemisphere. Countries near the equator gain little from it, because day length barely changes through the year. Japan, China, India and almost all of Africa stay on the same time all year, and several countries, including Russia and Turkey, have dropped it.
A short history of daylight saving time
Benjamin Franklin joked in 1784 that Parisians could save candles by getting up earlier, but the modern idea is usually credited to New Zealander George Hudson and British builder William Willett. Germany was the first country to adopt it nationally in 1916, to save fuel during World War I, and the UK followed weeks later. The US used it during both world wars, and the Uniform Time Act of 1966 set standard rules for states that chose to observe it.
Tips for the clock change
Ease into it
Go to bed 15 minutes earlier for a few nights before the spring change to soften the lost hour.
Check manual clocks
Car, oven, microwave and wall clocks often need changing by hand.
Overnight workers
Night shifts are an hour longer in autumn and an hour shorter in spring. Check how your timesheet counts it.
Safety reminder
Many fire services suggest testing smoke alarms when the clocks change.
Counting hours on a night shift that crosses a clock change? Use the Time Card Calculator and add or remove the hour by hand.