When it is 09:00 in Chicago it is 02:00 in Sydney in January and 00:00 in July. Sydney is 17 hours ahead Chicago right now — but it is not constant: the difference is 17 hours ahead in January and 15 hours ahead in July. This page gives the live times in both cities, the overlap between their working days, the daylight saving dates that move the difference, and the best meeting windows.
Try the tool: Time Zone Converter — convert any time between Chicago and Sydney, with the offset for the date you pick.
Live times in Chicago and Sydney
The two cities side by side. The January column uses the winter offsets (Chicago UTC−06:00, Sydney UTC+11:00); the July column uses the summer offsets (Chicago UTC−05:00, Sydney UTC+10:00).
| Time in Chicago | Sydney in January | Sydney in July |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 17:00 | 15:00 |
| 06:00 | 23:00 | 21:00 |
| 09:00 | 02:00 | 00:00 |
| 12:00 | 05:00 | 03:00 |
| 15:00 | 08:00 | 06:00 |
| 17:00 | 10:00 | 08:00 |
| 21:00 | 14:00 | 12:00 |
The world clock shows the current time in both cities live, and the individual city pages — time in Chicago and time in Sydney — explain each city's time zone, offsets and daylight saving in full.
The time difference between Chicago and Sydney
The difference is not constant. In January Sydney is 17 hours ahead Chicago; in July it is 15 hours ahead Chicago. The difference changes on Sunday, 8 March 2026 (from 17 hours ahead to 16 hours ahead) and Sunday, 5 April 2026 (from 16 hours ahead to 15 hours ahead) and Sunday, 4 October 2026 (from 15 hours ahead to 16 hours ahead) and Sunday, 1 November 2026 (from 16 hours ahead to 17 hours ahead) — those are the dates when one of the two cities changes its clocks and the other does not, or when they change on different days. Between those dates the difference is one value; outside them it is the other.
To convert a time, add the difference: 09:00 in Chicago is 02:00 in Sydney in January and 00:00 in July; 17:00 in Chicago — the end of the working day — is 10:00 in Sydney in January and 08:00 in July. To go the other way, subtract it: 09:00 in Sydney is 16:00 in Chicago in January. The time difference calculator does the arithmetic for any date, and the UTC to Sydney page gives the full conversion table for Sydney.
Meeting overlap between Chicago and Sydney
The overlap is the hours when both cities are in their working day (09:00–17:00 local time). The table marks the overlapping hours in Chicago's working day and shows what time they are in Sydney.
January
| Chicago time | Sydney time | Both working? |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | 02:00 | No |
| 10:00 | 03:00 | No |
| 11:00 | 04:00 | No |
| 12:00 | 05:00 | No |
| 13:00 | 06:00 | No |
| 14:00 | 07:00 | No |
| 15:00 | 08:00 | No |
| 16:00 | 09:00 | No |
July
| Chicago time | Sydney time | Both working? |
|---|---|---|
| 09:00 | 00:00 | No |
| 10:00 | 01:00 | No |
| 11:00 | 02:00 | No |
| 12:00 | 03:00 | No |
| 13:00 | 04:00 | No |
| 14:00 | 05:00 | No |
| 15:00 | 06:00 | No |
| 16:00 | 07:00 | No |
In January the overlap is 0 hours: there is no hour when both cities are in their working day. In July it is 0 hours: there is no hour when both cities are in their working day. The two working days do not overlap at all — the difference is too large. The only options are to meet at the edge of the day, to rotate the awkward hour, or to record the meeting.
Daylight saving in Chicago and Sydney
Chicago observes daylight saving: in 2026 the clocks go forward on 8 March 2026 and back on 1 November 2026, moving the offset from UTC−06:00 to UTC−05:00.
Sydney observes daylight saving: in 2026 the clocks go forward on 4 October 2026 and back on 5 April 2026, moving the offset from UTC+10:00 to UTC+11:00.
The difference changes on Sunday, 8 March 2026 and Sunday, 5 April 2026 and Sunday, 4 October 2026 and Sunday, 1 November 2026 in 2026. On those dates, one city changes its clocks and the other does not — or they change on different days — so the difference moves by an hour. A standing meeting set in one city's local time will land an hour early or late on the other side until the second city catches up. The fix is to set the calendar event in UTC, or to check the overlap again after each change. The individual DST pages — Chicago DST 2026 and Sydney DST 2026 — give the exact dates for each city.
Best meeting windows
There is no window inside both working days, in January or in July. The least-bad options are the edges: 08:00 in Chicago is 01:00 in Sydney in January — before the working day in Chicago but a reasonable evening in Sydney — and 17:00 in Chicago is 10:00 in Sydney, which is the morning in Sydney the next day if the difference is large. Rotate the early start between the two sides, week by week, so the same people are not always the ones getting up early.
Calling and travel notes
When it is 09:00 in Chicago it is 02:00 in Sydney in January; when it is 12:00 in Chicago it is 05:00 in Sydney; when it is 17:00 in Chicago it is 10:00 in Sydney. The difference is 12 hours or more, so the two cities are on different dates for part of the day: when it is Monday morning in Chicago, it is still Sunday in Sydney if Sydney is behind, or already Monday evening if it is ahead. Always state the date as well as the time when you schedule across this pair. Scheduling between the Americas and Oceania is the hardest case after Americas–Asia: the difference is 15 hours or more, and the two cities are on different dates for most of the day. The only workable approach is to meet at the edge of the day and to rotate the awkward hour. A meeting at 09:00 in Chicago is late evening or night in Sydney — check the tables above before you propose a time, and always state the date as well as the time.
Worked conversions
Six conversions, for January (offsets Chicago UTC−06:00, Sydney UTC+11:00):
| Chicago | Sydney |
|---|---|
| 08:00 | 01:00 |
| 09:00 | 02:00 |
| 12:00 | 05:00 |
| 14:00 | 07:00 |
| 17:00 | 10:00 |
| 20:00 | 13:00 |
In July, add 2 hours to each Sydney time. For the reverse direction, see Sydney to Chicago time.
Chicago and Sydney at a glance
| Fact | Chicago | Sydney |
|---|---|---|
| Country | United States | Australia |
| Region | Americas | Oceania |
| IANA time zone | America/Chicago |
Australia/Sydney |
| Standard offset | UTC−06:00 | UTC+10:00 |
| Daylight saving offset | UTC−05:00 | UTC+11:00 |
| Offset in January 2026 | UTC−06:00 | UTC+11:00 |
| Offset in July 2026 | UTC−05:00 | UTC+10:00 |
| Observes daylight saving | Yes | Yes |
The table is the whole pair in one place. The two numbers that matter most are the January and July offsets: if they are the same in both columns for a city, that city's offset never changes; if they differ, the city observes daylight saving and the difference between the cities moves with it. The individual city pages — time in Chicago and time in Sydney — explain each city's time zone, and the DST pages — Chicago DST 2026 and Sydney DST 2026 — give the exact change dates.
Frequently asked questions
What is the time difference between Chicago and Sydney?
Sydney is 17 hours ahead Chicago right now. In January the difference is 17 hours ahead and in July it is 15 hours ahead — it changes with daylight saving.
How do I schedule a recurring meeting between Chicago and Sydney?
Pick a time inside the overlap — the edge of the day, since there is no overlap — and set the calendar event in UTC so it moves correctly when the clocks change. Re-check the overlap in March and October, when the difference moves, and rotate the time if the meeting falls outside someone's working day.
What time is it in Sydney when it is 09:00 in Chicago?
It is 02:00 in January and 00:00 in July. The time zone converter gives the answer for any date.
What is the best time for a meeting between Chicago and Sydney?
There is no hour inside both working days. Meet at the edge of the day — early morning in one city, evening in the other — and rotate the awkward hour.
Does the time difference between Chicago and Sydney change during the year?
Yes. It changes on Sunday, 8 March 2026 and Sunday, 5 April 2026 and Sunday, 4 October 2026 and Sunday, 1 November 2026 in 2026, when one city changes its clocks and the other does not.
What time is it in Chicago when it is 09:00 in Sydney?
It is 16:00 in January and 18:00 in July. See Sydney to Chicago time for the full comparison from Sydney's side.
What are the time zones of Chicago and Sydney?
Chicago is in America/Chicago (UTC−06:00 standard time) and Sydney is in Australia/Sydney (UTC+10:00 standard time).
What time is it in Chicago when it is midnight in Sydney?
It is 07:00 in Chicago in January and 09:00 in July — the same day, because Chicago is ahead of Sydney. Midnight conversions are the ones that most often land on the wrong date, so always check the date as well as the time.
Sources
- IANA Time Zone Database, via Node.js Intl (
Intl.DateTimeFormatwithtimeZone) — 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. - TimeFlow's time zone converter and meeting planner — 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.