When Do the Clocks Change in 2026? Full DST Date List by Country
Daylight saving time dates for 2026 in the US, UK, EU, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and more. When clocks spring forward, when they fall back, and which countries have abolished DST entirely.
Quick Reference: 2026 DST Dates
For people who just need the dates: in the United States and Canada, daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 8, 2026, and ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026. In the United Kingdom and the European Union, DST begins on Sunday, March 29, 2026, and ends on Sunday, October 25, 2026. In Australia and New Zealand, DST runs in their summer (the opposite hemisphere): NZ ends DST on April 5, 2026, and starts again on September 27, 2026. The rest of this article goes through each country in detail, including the exact times clocks change, recent rule updates, and which countries have abolished DST entirely.
United States: Spring Forward March 8, Fall Back November 1
In the United States, daylight saving time in 2026 begins at 2:00 AM local time on Sunday, March 8, 2026. At that moment, clocks "spring forward" to 3:00 AM — you lose one hour of sleep that night. DST ends at 2:00 AM local time on Sunday, November 1, 2026. At that moment, clocks "fall back" to 1:00 AM — you gain one hour. These rules apply to almost the entire United States with two notable exceptions: Hawaii does not observe DST and stays on UTC−10 year-round, and most of Arizona does not observe DST and stays on UTC−7 year-round (the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona does observe DST). All US territories — Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa — also do not observe DST.
Canada: Same Dates as the USA, With Some Local Exceptions
Canada follows the same DST schedule as the United States. Clocks spring forward at 2:00 AM local time on Sunday, March 8, 2026, and fall back at 2:00 AM local time on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The exceptions are: Saskatchewan does not observe DST and stays on Central Standard Time year-round (which makes it functionally the same as Mountain Daylight Time in summer). Yukon abolished DST in 2020 and now stays on what is effectively Mountain Standard Time year-round. Several smaller communities, including parts of Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia, also do not observe DST. If you are coordinating with anyone in these regions, double-check their local rules.
United Kingdom: Spring Forward March 29, Fall Back October 25
In the United Kingdom, British Summer Time (BST) begins at 1:00 AM GMT on Sunday, March 29, 2026 — clocks go forward one hour to 2:00 AM. BST ends at 2:00 AM BST on Sunday, October 25, 2026 — clocks go back one hour to 1:00 AM. During BST the UK is on UTC+1; the rest of the year it is on UTC+0 (GMT). The dates for the UK are always the last Sunday of March and the last Sunday of October. Note that the UK and Ireland change their clocks on the same dates as the rest of Europe, even though Brexit has separated them politically — because the underlying European-wide DST rules were inherited.
European Union: Spring Forward March 29, Fall Back October 25
The European Union changes clocks on the same dates as the UK. Central European Summer Time (CEST) begins at 2:00 AM CET on Sunday, March 29, 2026 — clocks go forward to 3:00 AM. CEST ends at 3:00 AM CEST on Sunday, October 25, 2026 — clocks go back to 2:00 AM. These rules apply to all 27 EU member states plus Norway, Switzerland, Iceland, and the UK. Note: in 2019 the EU formally voted to abolish the practice of changing clocks twice a year, leaving each member state to decide whether to permanently keep summer or winter time. As of 2026, however, no implementation date has been set, and EU countries continue to change their clocks on the standard dates.
Australia: DST Runs October to April (Southern Hemisphere)
Because Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, its DST schedule is opposite to the Northern Hemisphere. In 2026, Australian states that observe DST end it on Sunday, April 5, 2026 (clocks fall back at 3:00 AM AEDT to 2:00 AM AEST), and start it again on Sunday, October 4, 2026 (clocks spring forward at 2:00 AM AEST to 3:00 AM AEDT). DST is observed in: New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory, and South Australia. DST is NOT observed in: Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory. Lord Howe Island is the strangest case — it observes DST with only a 30-minute shift instead of one hour.
New Zealand: DST Runs September to April
New Zealand also runs DST in the Southern Hemisphere summer. In 2026, NZDT ends at 3:00 AM on Sunday, April 5, 2026 — clocks go back to 2:00 AM NZST. NZDT starts again at 2:00 AM on Sunday, September 27, 2026 — clocks go forward to 3:00 AM NZDT. New Zealand spent six months on DST and six months on standard time, with DST always starting on the last Sunday of September and ending on the first Sunday of April. The Chatham Islands also observe DST, with the same dates but offset by 45 minutes (UTC+13:45 in summer, UTC+12:45 in winter).
Mexico: No Longer Observes DST (Except Border Cities)
Mexico ended its nationwide observance of daylight saving time in October 2022. As a result, in 2026 most of Mexico will NOT change its clocks at all. The exception is the small group of municipalities that border the United States — they continue to observe DST to stay aligned with their American neighbors, primarily for cross-border commerce. If you do business with Mexico City, Cancun, Guadalajara, or Monterrey, you no longer need to track DST changes there. If you do business with Tijuana, Mexicali, or other border cities, you do.
Other Countries: A Quick Summary
Brazil abolished DST in 2019 and does not change clocks. Russia abolished DST in 2011 and does not change clocks. China has never observed DST. Japan, Korea, India, and most of Southeast Asia do not observe DST. Most of South America (including Argentina, Chile in part, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru) does not observe DST. Most of Africa does not observe DST. Egypt reintroduced DST in 2023 after years without it. Iran abolished DST in 2022. Approximately 70 countries still observe DST, mostly in Europe, North America, and parts of the Middle East and Southern Hemisphere temperate zones.
Spring Forward or Fall Back: The Memory Trick
If you can never remember which way the clocks go, here is the simple mnemonic that has been used for decades: "Spring forward, fall back." In spring (March in the Northern Hemisphere, September/October in the Southern), you spring FORWARD by one hour — you lose an hour of sleep but gain extra evening daylight. In fall (November in the Northern Hemisphere, April in the Southern), you fall BACK by one hour — you gain an hour of sleep but lose evening daylight. This rule has been the same in every DST-observing country since the first DST law was enacted in 1916.
What to Do the Night Before
Most modern devices update automatically: smartphones, laptops, smart watches, smart speakers, and any device connected to the internet should adjust on its own at the moment of the time change. Devices that DO NOT update automatically include: most microwave clocks, most car clocks (older vehicles), most non-smart wall clocks, most stove clocks, and most basic alarm clocks. If you depend on any of these, change them manually before going to bed on the night DST changes. Sleep experts recommend going to bed about 15–20 minutes earlier in the days leading up to the spring transition to ease the loss of an hour.
Why Different Countries Change on Different Dates
You might wonder why the US and Europe change clocks on different dates, even though they used to coordinate. The reason is that in 2007, the United States extended its DST period by about a month — starting in March instead of April and ending in November instead of October. The European Union did not follow suit. As a result, there are about three weeks each spring (mid-March to late March) and one week each fall (late October to early November) when the time difference between New York and London is one hour different from its usual five hours. If you are scheduling international meetings during those windows, double-check the conversion.
The Future of DST: Will It Be Abolished?
There is growing global momentum to end the practice of changing clocks twice a year. Studies have shown that DST transitions cause measurable increases in heart attacks, traffic accidents, and workplace injuries in the days following the change. The European Union voted to abolish DST in 2019 but has not implemented the change. The US Senate unanimously passed the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022, which would have made DST permanent year-round in the United States, but the bill did not become law. Several individual US states (Florida, Washington, California, and others) have passed laws indicating they want to stop changing clocks, pending federal approval. For now, both regions still observe DST, but it is plausible that within the next decade one or both will end the practice.
Track Every DST Change With Clockzilla
You should not need to memorize all of these dates. Clockzilla automatically tracks DST schedules for every country and city in the world. Open any city page and you will see the next upcoming DST change date and a countdown in days. The current time displayed on Clockzilla always reflects the correct DST state automatically — if a city is currently in DST, the displayed UTC offset and timezone abbreviation reflect that. So you never have to manually convert anything yourself. Just bookmark the cities you care about and check Clockzilla when you need to know.
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