When Does Daylight Saving Time Start and End?
Daylight saving time 2027 begins on Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 2:00 AM local time, when US clocks spring forward one hour (in 129 days). It ends on Sunday, November 7, 2027, when clocks fall back one hour. The last change was on Sunday, November 1, 2026, when DST 2026 ended.
Updated · By the YearlyCalendar.org team
US daylight saving time dates, 2020–2040
Under current federal law, DST begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November, so DST always lasts 34 weeks (238 days). Clocks change at 2:00 AM local time: in March 2:00 becomes 3:00, in November 2:00 becomes 1:00.
History of daylight saving time in the US
| Year | What changed | DST period |
|---|---|---|
| 1918 | The Standard Time Act put US time zones into federal law and introduced daylight saving time from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October. Congress repealed DST in 1919 over President Wilson's veto. | – |
| 1942–1945 | “War Time”: year-round daylight saving time during World War II. | – |
| 1945–1966 | No federal rule; states and cities chose their own dates, or none. | — |
| 1966 | The Uniform Time Act set DST nationwide from the last Sunday of April to the last Sunday of October, starting in 1967. States could opt out. | – |
| 1974–1975 | During the energy crisis, Congress started DST early: in January 1974 and in February 1975. | ; |
| 1986 | A 1986 law moved the start to the first Sunday of April, beginning in 1987. | – |
| 2005 | The Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended DST to the second Sunday of March through the first Sunday of November, beginning in 2007. | – |
Who does not observe daylight saving time
- Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on standard time all year. In Arizona, the Navajo Nation does observe DST, while the Hopi Reservation inside it does not.
- The territories of Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa do not observe DST.
- Federal law lets a state stay on standard time all year, but not adopt permanent daylight saving time on its own. Time zones and DST are overseen by the US Department of Transportation.
Will daylight saving time become permanent?
Status (last verified November 5, 2026): not law. The Sunshine Protection Act would make daylight saving time permanent nationwide, so clocks would no longer fall back in November.
- The Senate passed an earlier version by unanimous consent on March 15, 2022, but the House never voted on it, and it expired with that Congress.
- In the current Congress, the House passed H.R. 139 on July 14, 2026, by 308 votes to 117. The Senate has not voted on it, and the Senate version, S. 29, is still in committee.
- Until a bill passes both chambers and is signed, clocks keep changing twice a year on the dates above.
Daylight saving time in the UK, Europe and Australia
| Year | UK & EU: clocks forward | UK & EU: clocks back | Australia: DST ends | Australia: DST starts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ||||
| 2026 | ||||
| 2027 | ||||
| 2028 | ||||
| 2029 | ||||
| 2030 | ||||
| 2031 | ||||
| 2032 | ||||
| 2033 | ||||
| 2034 |
- UK: clocks go forward 1 hour at 1:00 AM GMT on the last Sunday of March (British Summer Time) and back 1 hour at 2:00 AM BST on the last Sunday of October.
- European Union: same Sundays, and every country changes at the same moment, 1:00 AM UTC. A 2018 proposal to end seasonal clock changes has not been adopted.
- Australia: New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT start daylight saving on the first Sunday of October at 2:00 AM standard time and end it on the first Sunday of April at 3:00 AM daylight time. Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not use it.
- US vs. Europe: because the US changes earlier in spring and later in fall, New York is 4 hours behind London instead of 5 from March 14 to March 27 and from October 31 to November 6, 2027.
Sources
Legislative status last verified on November 5, 2026.
- Office of the Clerk, US House of Representatives: Roll Call 238, H.R. 139 (July 14, 2026)
- Congress.gov: H.R. 139, Sunshine Protection Act of 2025
- Congress.gov: S. 29, Sunshine Protection Act of 2025
- 15 U.S.C. § 260a: advancement of time (Uniform Time Act, as amended)
- NIST: Daylight Saving Time (DST)
- GOV.UK: When do the clocks change?
- NSW Government: Daylight saving
- Finnish Government: summer time in the EU
Frequently asked questions
Do we gain or lose an hour?
In March you lose an hour: clocks jump from 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM, so that Sunday has 23 hours. In November you gain an hour: clocks go from 2:00 AM back to 1:00 AM, so that Sunday has 25 hours and the hour from 1:00 to 2:00 AM happens twice.
Is it daylight saving time or daylight savings time?
The standard name, used by NIST and the Department of Transportation, is daylight saving time, with a singular “saving”. “Daylight savings time” is a common informal variant.
Why do we have daylight saving time?
It moves an hour of daylight from early morning to the evening during the longer days of spring, summer and fall. Saving energy was the main argument when it was introduced in 1918, during World War II and again in 1974.
Do I need to change my clocks?
Phones, computers and other devices that get the time from a network change automatically. Wall clocks, ovens, microwaves and many car clocks have to be changed by hand.