2026 Global Timezone Reference Guide
Time zone reference for remote teams and international business
Last reviewed: 30 September 2026 | Checked against the IANA time zone database (tzdata 2026e)
Quick Reference: Top 10 Timezone Conversions
| From | To | Time Difference | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| EST (Eastern Standard) | PST (Pacific Standard) | -3 hours | 12:00 PM EST = 9:00 AM PST |
| PST (Pacific Standard) | EST (Eastern Standard) | +3 hours | 9:00 AM PST = 12:00 PM EST |
| IST (India Standard) | PST (Pacific Standard) | -13.5 hours | 12:00 PM IST = 10:30 PM PST (prev day) |
| EST (Eastern Standard) | GMT (Greenwich Mean) | +5 hours | 12:00 PM EST = 5:00 PM GMT |
| IST (India Standard) | EST (Eastern Standard) | -10.5 hours | 12:00 PM IST = 1:30 AM EST |
| UTC (Coordinated Universal) | IST (India Standard) | +5.5 hours | 12:00 PM UTC = 5:30 PM IST |
| GMT (Greenwich Mean) | EST (Eastern Standard) | -5 hours | 12:00 PM GMT = 7:00 AM EST |
| CST (Central Standard) | EST (Eastern Standard) | +1 hour | 12:00 PM CST = 1:00 PM EST |
| PST (Pacific Standard) | IST (India Standard) | +13.5 hours | 9:00 AM PST = 10:30 PM IST |
| JST (Japan Standard) | EST (Eastern Standard) | -14 hours | 12:00 PM JST = 10:00 PM EST (prev day) |
Differences above are for standard time. While the US is on daylight time (March 8 to November 1, 2026), India and Japan are 1 hour closer to US time (e.g. IST is 9.5 hours ahead of EDT). US-UK differences stay at 5 hours except March 8 to 29 and October 25 to November 1, 2026, when they are 4.
Major World Timezones (UTC Offsets)
| Timezone | UTC Offset | Major Cities | DST? |
|---|---|---|---|
| HST - Hawaii Standard Time | UTC-10:00 | Honolulu | No |
| AKST - Alaska Standard Time | UTC-09:00 | Anchorage | Yes |
| PST - Pacific Standard Time | UTC-08:00 | Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco | Yes (PDT) |
| MST - Mountain Standard Time | UTC-07:00 | Denver, Salt Lake City (Phoenix: no DST) | Yes (MDT) |
| CST - Central Standard Time | UTC-06:00 | Chicago, Dallas (Mexico City: same offset, no DST) | Yes (CDT) |
| EST - Eastern Standard Time | UTC-05:00 | New York, Toronto, Miami | Yes (EDT) |
| AST - Atlantic Standard Time | UTC-04:00 | Halifax (San Juan, Puerto Rico: no DST) | Yes (ADT) |
| BRT - Brasilia Time | UTC-03:00 | São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro | No |
| GMT/UTC - Greenwich Mean Time | UTC±00:00 | London, Lisbon (Reykjavik: no DST) | Yes (BST in UK, WEST in Portugal) |
| CET - Central European Time | UTC+01:00 | Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid | Yes (CEST) |
| EET - Eastern European Time | UTC+02:00 | Athens, Helsinki, Cairo | Yes (EEST; Cairo uses different dates) |
| UTC+3 (MSK in Moscow) | UTC+03:00 | Moscow, Istanbul, Riyadh | No |
| GST - Gulf Standard Time | UTC+04:00 | Dubai, Abu Dhabi | No |
| IST - India Standard Time | UTC+05:30 | Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore | No |
| CST - China Standard Time | UTC+08:00 | Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong | No |
| JST / KST - Japan and Korea Standard Time | UTC+09:00 | Tokyo, Seoul, Osaka | No |
| AEST - Australian Eastern ST | UTC+10:00 | Sydney, Melbourne (Brisbane: no DST) | Yes (AEDT) |
| NZST - New Zealand Standard Time | UTC+12:00 | Auckland, Wellington | Yes (NZDT) |
2026 Daylight Saving Time Schedule
United States & Canada
- Spring Forward: Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 2:00 AM (clocks move to 3:00 AM)
- Fall Back: Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 2:00 AM (clocks move to 1:00 AM)
- Canada: British Columbia (UTC-7), Alberta and the Northwest Territories (UTC-6) and Manitoba (UTC-5) do not fall back on November 1, 2026 and stop changing clocks. Saskatchewan and Yukon do not change. Most of Mexico has had no DST since 2022.
European Union and UK
- Spring Forward: Sunday, March 29, 2026 at 01:00 UTC (1:00 AM → 2:00 AM in the UK, 2:00 AM → 3:00 AM in CET countries)
- Fall Back: Sunday, October 25, 2026 at 01:00 UTC (2:00 AM → 1:00 AM in the UK, 3:00 AM → 2:00 AM in CET countries)
New Zealand
- Fall Back: Sunday, April 5, 2026 at 3:00 AM (clocks move to 2:00 AM)
- Spring Forward: Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 2:00 AM (clocks move to 3:00 AM)
Australia
- Fall Back: Sunday, April 5, 2026 at 3:00 AM (clocks move to 2:00 AM)
- Spring Forward: Sunday, October 4, 2026 at 2:00 AM (clocks move to 3:00 AM)
- Note: Not all Australian states observe DST (Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia do not)
2027 dates: US/Canada March 14 and November 7; EU/UK March 28 and October 31; Australia (NSW, VIC, TAS, SA, ACT) back April 4, forward October 3; New Zealand back April 4, forward September 26.
Best Meeting Times for Global Teams
US East Coast ↔ India
Suggested overlap: 8:00-10:30 AM EST (6:30-9:00 PM IST). During US daylight time, 8:00-10:30 AM EDT is 5:30-8:00 PM IST.
Morning for US, evening for India.
US West Coast ↔ Europe
Suggested overlap: 8:00-11:00 AM PST (4:00-7:00 PM GMT / 5:00-8:00 PM CET). The same local hours apply in summer (PDT with BST/CEST).
Morning for US, late afternoon/evening for Europe.
Australia ↔ US East Coast
Suggested overlap: 7:00-9:00 PM New York time. From April 5 to October 4, 2026 (EDT/AEST) that is 9:00-11:00 AM in Sydney the next day. From November 1, 2026 to March 14, 2027 (EST/AEDT) it is 11:00 AM-1:00 PM. In the weeks in between (EDT/AEDT) it is 10:00 AM-12:00 PM.
Evening for US, morning for Sydney. Very limited overlap.
Asia ↔ US West Coast
Suggested overlap: 6:00-8:00 PM PST = 10:00 AM-12:00 PM China (UTC+8) and 11:00 AM-1:00 PM Japan (JST) next day. During US daylight time, subtract 1 hour on the Asian side.
Evening for US, morning for Asia.
Quick Tips for Timezone Management
- Use UTC for server timestamps - Convert to local time only for display
- Store IANA time zone names (e.g., "America/New_York"), not fixed offsets. Rules change: several Canadian provinces and Morocco changed theirs in 2026.
- Account for DST transitions - They don't happen on the same dates everywhere
- Keep time zone data updated - Operating systems and libraries ship tzdata updates. Old data gives wrong times after a rule change.
- Name the zone in invites - Write "ET" or a city, not "EST" year-round
Places With Unusual or Recently Changed Rules
- Canada - British Columbia, Alberta, the Northwest Territories and Manitoba stop changing clocks from November 2026. Saskatchewan and Yukon already had no DST.
- Australia - Only NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT observe DST
- United States - Hawaii and Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) don't observe DST
- Mexico - No DST since 2022, except municipalities along the US border
- Brazil - No DST since 2019
- Russia - 11 time zones. No clock changes since 2011; Moscow on UTC+3 since 2014.
- Chile - Mainland observes DST. Magallanes and Aysén stay on UTC-3 all year.
- Egypt - DST from the last Friday of April to the last Thursday of October (reinstated in 2023)
- Israel - DST from the Friday before the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October
- Morocco - UTC+0 all year since September 20, 2026 (previously UTC+1 with a change for Ramadan)
- Paraguay - UTC-3 all year since October 2024
- European Union - A proposal to end clock changes has been blocked in the Council since 2019
Sources
- IANA – Time zone database (tzdata 2026e) release notes
- IANA – Time Zone Database
- NIST – Daylight Saving Time Rules
- GOV.UK – When do the clocks change?
- European Parliament – Legislative Train: Discontinuing seasonal changes of time
- Government of British Columbia – B.C.'s new time zone (Pacific time)
- Government of Alberta – Alberta's new time system (ABT)
- Government of the Northwest Territories – Northwest Territories ends Seasonal Time Change
- Province of Manitoba – Manitoba Will Move to Permanent Daylight Saving Time
- NSW Government – Daylight saving in NSW
- New Zealand Government (govt.nz) – Daylight saving in NZ