This guide covers Daylight Saving Time Explained | TimeFlow — what it means, how it works, and how to use it. The explanations below are followed by worked examples with real dates and real times, a set of frequently asked questions, and links to the tools that do the calculation for you: the time zone converter, the world clock, and the UTC converter. Where a number is given — an offset, a date, a count — it is computed from the IANA Time Zone Database for the date stated, not copied from a table that may be out of date.

Try the tool: Time Zone Converter — convert any time between any two cities, with the daylight saving rules for the date you choose.

Daylight saving time (DST) is the practice of moving the clocks forward by one hour in spring and back by one hour in autumn, so that more daylight falls in the evening. In spring the clocks 'spring forward' — 2am becomes 3am and an hour is lost. In autumn they 'fall back' — 2am becomes 1am and the hour is regained.

The idea is to match waking hours to daylight. In summer the Sun rises early and sets late, so shifting the clock forward moves an hour of daylight from the early morning — when most people are asleep — to the evening, when they are awake. The result is lighter evenings for sport, shopping and social life, and darker mornings.

About 70 countries observe daylight saving, including most of Europe and North America. But it is far from universal: most of Africa and Asia do not, and several countries have abolished it in recent years — Mexico in 2022, Brazil in 2019, Russia in 2014, Türkiye in 2016, Jordan in 2022. The world is slowly moving away from the clock change, not towards it.

The dates differ by region. The United States and Canada change on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. Europe changes on the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October. Australia and New Zealand change in the opposite direction — their clocks go forward in October and back in April — because their summer is the northern winter. The European Union has voted to end the clock change but has not agreed on how, so for now the twice-yearly change continues.

In practice

The spring change is the one that causes trouble. Losing an hour of sleep sounds trivial, but studies consistently find a spike in road accidents, heart attacks and workplace injuries in the days after the clocks go forward. The autumn change, when the hour is regained, has no comparable spike. It is the main reason the debate about abolishing the change never ends — and why several countries have already abolished it.

The dates are the part people get wrong most often. The United States and Canada change on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November. Europe changes on the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October — three weeks later in spring, one week earlier in autumn — so for a few weeks each year the gap between New York and London is four hours instead of five. Australia and New Zealand change in the opposite direction, because their summer is the northern winter.

Whether the change saves energy is still argued about. The original justification was lighting: less artificial light in the evening. Modern studies are mixed — air conditioning and efficient lighting have changed the maths, and some studies find the savings are now negligible or even negative. The reason the change survives in most places is lifestyle, not energy: people like light evenings, and the retail, sport and leisure industries like them too.

The numbers: daylight saving in 2026

The table below shows when daylight saving starts and ends in 2026 in eight major zones. The northern hemisphere moves its clocks forward in March and back in October or November; the southern hemisphere does the opposite, moving forward in October and back in April.

Time zone Daylight saving starts 2026 Daylight saving ends 2026
New York Sunday, 8 March 2026 Sunday, 1 November 2026
London Sunday, 29 March 2026 Sunday, 25 October 2026
Paris Sunday, 29 March 2026 Sunday, 25 October 2026
Berlin Sunday, 29 March 2026 Sunday, 25 October 2026
Sydney Sunday, 4 October 2026 Sunday, 5 April 2026
Auckland Sunday, 27 September 2026 Sunday, 5 April 2026
Toronto Sunday, 8 March 2026 Sunday, 1 November 2026
Chicago Sunday, 8 March 2026 Sunday, 1 November 2026

The mismatch between North America and Europe is the detail that catches people out: the United States changes on the second Sunday of March, three weeks before Europe changes on the last Sunday of March, so for three weeks each spring — and one week each autumn — the gap between New York and London is four hours instead of five. The daylight saving dates page lists every zone that changes in 2026, and the time zone converter applies the rules for the date you choose.

The same eight zones in 2027:

Time zone Daylight saving starts 2027 Daylight saving ends 2027
New York Sunday, 14 March 2027 Sunday, 7 November 2027
London Sunday, 28 March 2027 Sunday, 31 October 2027
Paris Sunday, 28 March 2027 Sunday, 31 October 2027
Berlin Sunday, 28 March 2027 Sunday, 31 October 2027
Sydney Sunday, 3 October 2027 Sunday, 4 April 2027
Auckland Sunday, 26 September 2027 Sunday, 4 April 2027
Toronto Sunday, 14 March 2027 Sunday, 7 November 2027
Chicago Sunday, 14 March 2027 Sunday, 7 November 2027

The pattern is the same every year, but the dates move: in 2027 the US springs forward on 14 March and falls back on 7 November, while Europe springs forward on 28 March and falls back on 31 October. The day of the week is fixed — the second Sunday of March, the last Sunday of March — but the date shifts, which is why you should check the dates for the year you care about rather than remembering last year's.

Key facts

  • About 70 countries observe daylight saving, concentrated in Europe, North America and parts of Oceania.
  • The United States changes on the second Sunday of March; Europe changes on the last Sunday of March.
  • Australia and New Zealand change in the opposite direction, because their summer is the northern winter.
  • Russia, Türkiye, Brazil, Mexico, Jordan and Morocco have all abolished daylight saving in the last twelve years.
  • The spring change costs an hour of sleep, and studies find a spike in accidents in the days after it.

Frequently asked questions

What is daylight saving time?

Moving the clocks forward one hour in spring and back one hour in autumn, so more daylight falls in the evening. In spring the clocks 'spring forward' and an hour is lost; in autumn they 'fall back' and it is regained.

How many countries observe daylight saving?

About 70, concentrated in Europe, North America and parts of Oceania. Most of Africa and Asia do not observe it.

When does daylight saving start in the US?

On the second Sunday of March, and it ends on the first Sunday of November. Europe changes on the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October.

Does daylight saving save energy?

The evidence is mixed. The original justification was lighting, but modern studies find the savings are now negligible or even negative — air conditioning and efficient lighting have changed the maths.

Which countries have abolished daylight saving?

Russia (2014), Türkiye (2016), Brazil (2019), Mexico (2022) and Jordan (2022), among others. The world is slowly moving away from the clock change.

When does daylight saving start in 2027?

In the United States on 14 March 2027, in Europe on 28 March 2027, and in Australia and New Zealand on 3 October 2027. The daylight saving dates page lists every zone that changes.

What is the time difference between London and Tokyo?

Nine hours in January 2026: London is UTC+00:00 and Tokyo is UTC+09:00. In July it is eight hours, because London moves to UTC+01:00 while Tokyo stays on UTC+09:00. The time zone converter gives the difference for any two cities and any date.

Related pages

Sources

  • IANA Time Zone Database, via Node.js Intl (Intl.DateTimeFormat with timeZone) — offsets, daylight saving dates and local times in this article were worked out from the IANA database, not typed from memory.
  • TimeFlow's own time-zone data (data/cities.ts, data/dst.ts), computed from the IANA database.
  • Time zone rules and offsets: the IANA Time Zone Database, as applied by this site's tools. Offsets and daylight saving dates on this page are computed from the database for the dates stated.
  • TimeFlow's time zone converter, world clock and UTC converter — the live tools behind the numbers on this page.
  • Time-zone and daylight saving rules are set by governments and can change. For flights, deadlines and meetings that cannot move, confirm the time with an official source.