What is daylight saving time?

Daylight saving time, or summer time, is the practice of moving the clocks forward in spring and back in autumn, so evenings stay light longer in summer. Most of Europe and North America do it, as do parts of South America, Australia and New Zealand. Most of Asia and Africa and many countries near the equator keep the same time all year.

The dates differ by region. The European Union changes on the last Sundays of March and October, at the same moment everywhere. The United States and Canada change on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November, at 2:00 local time.

Tool description

The tool opens with your own time zone and this year. Pick any time zone and year to see:

  • When the clocks go forward and back, with the date and the weekday
  • The local time just before and right after each change, such as 03:00 → 04:00
  • How far the clocks move, usually 1 hour
  • The UTC offsets for standard time and daylight saving time
  • The change dates for the chosen year and the nine years after it

When a time zone doesn't change its clocks in the chosen year, the tool says so and shows its UTC offset.

Where do the dates come from?

The dates come from the time zone database built into your browser, the same one your computer's clock uses. For future years it follows the rules in force today. Governments sometimes change or drop daylight saving time, so dates several years ahead can change, and an older browser may not know about a recent change yet.

Things to know

  • In the southern hemisphere, the clocks go back in March or April and forward in September or October, so the year starts on summer time.
  • A few places move their clocks by other amounts, like Lord Howe Island in Australia, which moves them by 30 minutes.
  • Times show in your 12- or 24-hour clock setting, and dates in your regional date format.

Example

Europe/London in 2026: the clocks go forward 1 hour on Sunday, March 29, from 01:00 to 02:00, and go back 1 hour on Sunday, October 25, from 02:00 to 01:00. Standard time is UTC+00:00 and summer time UTC+01:00.

Features

  • Daylight saving time start and end dates for any time zone
  • Local times of each change and how far the clocks move
  • Standard and daylight saving UTC offsets
  • Change dates for ten years at a glance
  • Works for zones without daylight saving time, half-hour changes and the southern hemisphere