When Do the Clocks Change in 2026? Daylight Saving Dates by Country

Daylight saving time in 2026 begins on different dates depending on where you live. In the United States and Canada, clocks spring forward on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 2:00 AM local time. In the United Kingdom and most of Europe, the change happens three weeks later, on Sunday, March 29, 2026. In the Southern Hemisphere, including Australia and New Zealand, daylight saving ends in their autumn (March to April) and begins again in their spring (September to October).

If you are scheduling meetings, planning travel, or coordinating with people in other countries, these dates matter. The time difference between cities can shift by one or even two hours during the weeks when one country has changed its clocks and another has not. That is why it is important to know the exact transition dates for every country involved in your schedule.

This guide covers every major country that observes daylight saving time in 2026, the exact dates and times of each change, and the countries that never change their clocks.

In the United States, daylight saving time begins on Sunday, March 8, 2026. At 2:00 AM, clocks move forward to 3:00 AM. DST ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2:00 AM, when clocks move back to 1:00 AM.

Canada follows the same schedule as the United States, with the exception of Saskatchewan, which stays on Central Standard Time year-round, and parts of British Columbia and Nunavut that do not observe DST.

Two US states do not observe daylight saving time. Hawaii stays on Hawaii Standard Time (UTC-10) all year. Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time (UTC-7) all year, except for the Navajo Nation in northeastern Arizona, which does observe DST.

US territories including Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands also do not observe daylight saving time.

British Summer Time (BST) begins on Sunday, March 29, 2026. At 1:00 AM GMT, clocks spring forward to 2:00 AM BST, which is UTC+1. BST ends on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 2:00 AM BST, when clocks move back to 1:00 AM GMT (UTC+0).

Ireland follows the same dates as the UK. Irish Standard Time (IST) is UTC+1 during summer, the same as BST, while winter time is GMT (UTC+0).

The UK and Ireland change on the same dates as the rest of Europe, even after Brexit. The underlying DST rules were inherited from the European Union and have not changed.

The EU changes clocks on the same dates as the UK. Central European Summer Time (CEST) begins on Sunday, March 29, 2026, at 1:00 AM UTC, when clocks in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and other EU countries spring forward to 3:00 AM local time. CEST ends on Sunday, October 25, 2026, at 1:00 AM UTC, when clocks return to CET (UTC+1).

Finland, Greece, Poland, and all other EU member states follow the same schedule. Portugal also follows the EU schedule, despite being on the western edge of the time zone.

The European Commission has proposed abolishing seasonal clock changes, but as of 2026 the legislation has not been finalized. Member states would each decide whether to stay on permanent summer time or permanent winter time.

Australia has a mixed approach. States that observe DST end it on Sunday, April 5, 2026, at 3:00 AM, when clocks move back to 2:00 AM AEST (UTC+10). DST begins again on the first Sunday of October (October 4, 2026) at 2:00 AM, when clocks spring forward to 3:00 AM AEDT (UTC+11).

The states that observe DST are New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia, and the ACT. Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia do not observe DST.

New Zealand DST ends on Sunday, April 5, 2026, at 3:00 AM NZDT, when clocks move back to 2:00 AM NZST (UTC+12). NZDT begins again on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at 2:00 AM NZST, when clocks spring forward to 3:00 AM NZDT (UTC+13).

The Chatham Islands, which are 45 minutes ahead of mainland New Zealand, follow the same dates but with their own offset: UTC+13:45 in summer, UTC+12:45 in winter.

Mexico observes DST in most of the country. Clocks spring forward on the first Sunday of April (April 5, 2026) and fall back on the last Sunday of October (October 25, 2026). However, most of Mexico abolished DST in 2022. Only areas along the US border that are in the US Central Time Zone continue to observe it.

Brazil ends DST on the first Sunday of February (February 1, 2026). Most of Brazil no longer observes DST after a 2019 law change, but some southern states may still follow it. Check locally.

Parts of the Middle East also change clocks. Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Israel, and Palestine each have their own DST schedules that may differ from Western dates. Israel typically springs forward in late March or April and falls back in late October.

Morocco is a special case. It stays on daylight saving time year-round except during Ramadan, when it temporarily returns to standard time.

• Use city names instead of ambiguous timezone abbreviations.
• Repeat the selected time on booking confirmation pages.
• Check daylight saving changes before publishing event times.

Most of Asia does not observe daylight saving time. China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Southeast Asian countries stay on the same offset all year. This means the time difference between these countries and the US or Europe shifts by one hour when the Western countries change their clocks.

India is UTC+5:30 year-round. Japan is UTC+9 year-round. China is UTC+8 year-round. None of these countries have changed their clocks in decades.

Africa does not observe DST. Most African countries stay on their standard offset all year. Egypt used to observe DST but stopped in 2014.

South America is mostly DST-free. Argentina, Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela do not observe DST. Chile and Paraguay are exceptions that do change clocks.

In North America, Mexico (most regions), Hawaii, Arizona, and all US territories stay on permanent standard time.

The weeks around DST transitions are the most dangerous for scheduling. When the US changes on March 8 but Europe does not change until March 29, the normal time difference between US East Coast and London shifts from 5 hours to 4 hours for three weeks. That is enough to cause missed meetings.

If you have recurring meetings with international participants, check the transition dates at the start of each year. Use a time zone converter to verify the exact offset for the specific date of your meeting, not just the current offset.

For a visual overview of current times across multiple cities, use the world clock. For scheduling meetings that work across regions, use the meeting planner, which automatically handles DST transitions.

Daylight saving time is one of the most common causes of scheduling errors. The dates are not the same across countries, the rules can change from year to year, and the transition weeks create confusion that is easy to miss.

Bookmark this page or check the dates at the start of each year. If you are working with someone in a different time zone, verify the offset for the exact date of your meeting, not just today's offset. A one-hour mistake can mean a missed call, a delayed shipment, or a deadline that lands on the wrong side of midnight.

For everyday time checks, use the time zone converter or the world clock. For planning meetings across regions, the meeting planner handles DST automatically.