Daylight Saving Time
Daylight saving time moves clocks forward by an hour in spring and back in autumn, shifting daylight into the evening. Below are the exact 2026 and 2027 change dates for major zones — computed from the official IANA time zone database, not hand-typed.
2026 clock changes
| Zone | Date | Change | UTC offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland · New Zealand Time | Apr 5, 2026 | Clocks go back 1 hour (03:00 → 02:00) | UTC+13:00 → UTC+12:00 |
| Auckland · New Zealand Time | Sep 27, 2026 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC+12:00 → UTC+13:00 |
| Berlin · Central European Time | Mar 29, 2026 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC+01:00 → UTC+02:00 |
| Berlin · Central European Time | Oct 25, 2026 | Clocks go back 1 hour (03:00 → 02:00) | UTC+02:00 → UTC+01:00 |
| Chicago · Central Time | Mar 8, 2026 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC-06:00 → UTC-05:00 |
| Chicago · Central Time | Nov 1, 2026 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC-05:00 → UTC-06:00 |
| Denver · Mountain Time | Mar 8, 2026 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC-07:00 → UTC-06:00 |
| Denver · Mountain Time | Nov 1, 2026 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC-06:00 → UTC-07:00 |
| London · UK Time | Mar 29, 2026 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (01:00 → 02:00) | UTC+00:00 → UTC+01:00 |
| London · UK Time | Oct 25, 2026 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC+01:00 → UTC+00:00 |
| Los Angeles · Pacific Time | Mar 8, 2026 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC-08:00 → UTC-07:00 |
| Los Angeles · Pacific Time | Nov 1, 2026 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC-07:00 → UTC-08:00 |
| New York · Eastern Time | Mar 8, 2026 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC-05:00 → UTC-04:00 |
| New York · Eastern Time | Nov 1, 2026 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC-04:00 → UTC-05:00 |
| Paris · Central European Time | Mar 29, 2026 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC+01:00 → UTC+02:00 |
| Paris · Central European Time | Oct 25, 2026 | Clocks go back 1 hour (03:00 → 02:00) | UTC+02:00 → UTC+01:00 |
| Sydney · Australian Eastern Time | Apr 5, 2026 | Clocks go back 1 hour (03:00 → 02:00) | UTC+11:00 → UTC+10:00 |
| Sydney · Australian Eastern Time | Oct 4, 2026 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC+10:00 → UTC+11:00 |
| Toronto · Eastern Time | Mar 8, 2026 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC-05:00 → UTC-04:00 |
| Toronto · Eastern Time | Nov 1, 2026 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC-04:00 → UTC-05:00 |
2027 clock changes
| Zone | Date | Change | UTC offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Auckland · New Zealand Time | Apr 4, 2027 | Clocks go back 1 hour (03:00 → 02:00) | UTC+13:00 → UTC+12:00 |
| Auckland · New Zealand Time | Sep 26, 2027 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC+12:00 → UTC+13:00 |
| Berlin · Central European Time | Mar 28, 2027 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC+01:00 → UTC+02:00 |
| Berlin · Central European Time | Oct 31, 2027 | Clocks go back 1 hour (03:00 → 02:00) | UTC+02:00 → UTC+01:00 |
| Chicago · Central Time | Mar 14, 2027 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC-06:00 → UTC-05:00 |
| Chicago · Central Time | Nov 7, 2027 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC-05:00 → UTC-06:00 |
| Denver · Mountain Time | Mar 14, 2027 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC-07:00 → UTC-06:00 |
| Denver · Mountain Time | Nov 7, 2027 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC-06:00 → UTC-07:00 |
| London · UK Time | Mar 28, 2027 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (01:00 → 02:00) | UTC+00:00 → UTC+01:00 |
| London · UK Time | Oct 31, 2027 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC+01:00 → UTC+00:00 |
| Los Angeles · Pacific Time | Mar 14, 2027 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC-08:00 → UTC-07:00 |
| Los Angeles · Pacific Time | Nov 7, 2027 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC-07:00 → UTC-08:00 |
| New York · Eastern Time | Mar 14, 2027 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC-05:00 → UTC-04:00 |
| New York · Eastern Time | Nov 7, 2027 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC-04:00 → UTC-05:00 |
| Paris · Central European Time | Mar 28, 2027 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC+01:00 → UTC+02:00 |
| Paris · Central European Time | Oct 31, 2027 | Clocks go back 1 hour (03:00 → 02:00) | UTC+02:00 → UTC+01:00 |
| Sydney · Australian Eastern Time | Apr 4, 2027 | Clocks go back 1 hour (03:00 → 02:00) | UTC+11:00 → UTC+10:00 |
| Sydney · Australian Eastern Time | Oct 3, 2027 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC+10:00 → UTC+11:00 |
| Toronto · Eastern Time | Mar 14, 2027 | Clocks go forward 1 hour (02:00 → 03:00) | UTC-05:00 → UTC-04:00 |
| Toronto · Eastern Time | Nov 7, 2027 | Clocks go back 1 hour (02:00 → 01:00) | UTC-04:00 → UTC-05:00 |
How daylight saving works
In spring, clocks jump forward — the hour between 2:00 and 3:00 AM never happens in local time. In autumn they fall back, and the hour between 1:00 and 2:00 AM happens twice. The exact dates are set by law in each country: the US and Canada change on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November, while the UK and EU change on the last Sundays of March and October.
Because the southern hemisphere has summer when the north has winter, places like Sydney and Auckland spring forward in October and fall back in April — the mirror image of the northern schedule.
Places that skip it
Most countries never change their clocks, including India, China, Japan, Indonesia and most of Africa and South America. A few regions opt out inside countries that otherwise observe it: Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii in the US, and Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory in Australia stay on standard time all year.
Related tools
- Time Zone Converter — conversions that respect these changes
- Meeting Planner — work-hour overlap on any date
- World Clock — who is on DST right now
Frequently asked questions
When does daylight saving time start in 2026?
In the United States and Canada, clocks go forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026. In the UK and the EU, summer time begins on Sunday, March 29, 2026. In Australia and New Zealand, daylight saving ends in April 2026 (their autumn) and resumes in October.
When does daylight saving time end in 2026?
In the United States and Canada, clocks go back on Sunday, November 1, 2026. In the UK and the EU, summer time ends on Sunday, October 25, 2026.
Does India observe daylight saving time?
No. India stays on India Standard Time (UTC+5:30) all year and has not used daylight saving in the modern era. The same is true for Japan, China and most countries near the equator.
Why do we have daylight saving time?
The idea is to shift an hour of daylight from the early morning, when most people sleep, to the evening. It was first widely adopted during World War I to save energy for lighting, and today supporters cite evening leisure time and retail activity while critics point to the disruption of the clock changes.
Which countries do not observe daylight saving time?
Most of the world does not. That includes India, China, Japan, Russia, most of Africa, most of South America and Southeast Asia. Within countries that do observe it there are exceptions — for example, Arizona and Hawaii in the US, and Queensland and Western Australia, stay on standard time year-round.
What happens to the "missing" hour when clocks go forward?
Nothing is lost or gained in absolute terms — the hour from 2:00 to 3:00 AM simply never occurs in local time on that date. Schedules, timestamps and our converters treat it as a gap: times inside it are flagged as nonexistent rather than silently shifted.