Daylight Saving Time is not a global standard. It is a collection of national and regional policies that happen to share a name. Different countries observe it on different dates, with different rules, and some do not observe it at all. This section covers the major regions and their 2026 transition dates.
United States and Canada (most regions)
Spring forward: Sunday 8 March 2026 at 02:00 local time. Clocks move to 03:00. Most US and Canadian timezones advance by one hour.
Fall back: Sunday 1 November 2026 at 02:00 local time. Clocks move to 01:00.
Exceptions: Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) does not observe DST and remains on MST (UTC−7) year-round. Hawaii does not observe DST and remains on HST (UTC−10) year-round. Saskatchewan in Canada does not observe DST.
European Union and United Kingdom
Spring forward: Sunday 29 March 2026 at 01:00 UTC. Each country moves its clocks forward at 01:00 UTC simultaneously, which means the local clock time of transition varies by timezone.
Fall back: Sunday 25 October 2026 at 01:00 UTC.
Note: The EU voted in 2019 to end mandatory DST observation and allow member states to choose permanent standard or summer time. Implementation has been delayed and as of 2026 the current system remains in effect. Check for updates if planning coordination beyond mid-2026.
Australia
Australia's DST runs on a reversed seasonal cycle from the northern hemisphere.
Spring forward (southern hemisphere spring): Sunday 4 October 2026. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the ACT move clocks forward.
Fall back (southern hemisphere autumn): Sunday 5 April 2026.
Exceptions: Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory do not observe DST.
The dangerous gap: March 2026
The US moves its clocks on 8 March. Europe moves its clocks on 29 March. For the three weeks between these dates, the offset between any US timezone and any European timezone is one hour different from its normal value.
A standing meeting scheduled for "4pm London, 11am New York" will shift to "4pm London, 12pm New York" during this window without any calendar notification.
This gap recurs every year. The specific dates vary slightly. It is worth flagging in any communications that span the Atlantic during March.
Regions that do not observe DST
The following major regions maintain a fixed UTC offset year-round: Japan (UTC+9), China (UTC+8), India (UTC+5:30), most of Africa, most of Southeast Asia, Iceland, and most of the Middle East. A full list is covered in the article on timezones that don't observe DST.