Daylight Saving Time Dates 2026–2027 — Every Major Region
Clock changes don't happen on one global date — each region picks its own, which is why international time differences quietly shift several times a year. Here are the exact dates for 2026 and 2027, who doesn't change at all, and the weeks when recurring meetings break.
Northern hemisphere: 2026 and 2027
In the north, clocks go forward in spring and back in autumn. The rules are fixed formulas ("second Sunday in March"), so the dates below follow directly from each region's law.
| Region | Rule | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States & Canada | 2nd Sun Mar → 1st Sun Nov, 2:00 local | Mar 8 → Nov 1 | Mar 14 → Nov 7 |
| European Union | Last Sun Mar → last Sun Oct, 1:00 UTC | Mar 29 → Oct 25 | Mar 28 → Oct 31 |
| United Kingdom | Same instants as the EU | Mar 29 → Oct 25 | Mar 28 → Oct 31 |
| Egypt | Last Fri Apr → last Thu Oct | Apr 24 → Oct 29 | Apr 30 → Oct 28 |
| Israel | Fri before last Sun Mar → last Sun Oct | Mar 27 → Oct 25 | Mar 26 → Oct 31 |
Two details worth knowing: the whole EU changes at the same instant (01:00 UTC), so European cities never disagree with each other; the US changes at 2:00 local time in each zone, so the change rolls across the country hour by hour.
Southern hemisphere: reversed seasons
South of the equator, summer runs December–February, so DST runs across the new year: clocks go forward around October and back around April.
| Region | Rule | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (NSW, VIC, SA, TAS, ACT) | Back 1st Sun Apr; forward 1st Sun Oct | Apr 5 · Oct 4 | Apr 4 · Oct 3 |
| New Zealand | Back 1st Sun Apr; forward last Sun Sep | Apr 5 · Sep 27 | Apr 4 · Sep 26 |
| Chile (most of the country) | Back 1st Sat Apr; forward 1st Sat Sep (24:00) | early Apr · early Sep | early Apr · early Sep |
Note that Australia is split: Queensland, Western Australia, and the Northern Territory never change, so Brisbane and Sydney share a time zone for only half the year.
Who doesn't change clocks at all
Most of the world's population actually lives on permanent standard time:
- Asia: China, India, Japan, South Korea, and all of Southeast Asia — no DST anywhere.
- Russia and Turkey: abolished clock changes (2014 and 2016) and stay on one offset year-round.
- Most of Africa and South America: Brazil dropped DST in 2019; Paraguay made its summer offset permanent in 2024.
- Mexico: abolished DST in 2022, except a strip of border cities that follow the US schedule for practical reasons.
- Iran: abolished DST in 2022.
- Within the US: Hawaii and most of Arizona (the Navajo Nation is the exception inside Arizona) never change.
The mismatch weeks — when recurring meetings break
Because the dates above differ, fixed time differences temporarily shift. These are the windows to double-check in 2026–2027:
- Mar 8 – Mar 29, 2026 (and Mar 14 – Mar 28, 2027): the US has sprung forward but Europe hasn't. New York–London is 4 hours instead of 5; a 16:00 London call lands at 12:00 in New York instead of 11:00.
- Oct 25 – Nov 1, 2026 (and Oct 31 – Nov 7, 2027): Europe has fallen back but the US hasn't — the same pair is 4 hours again for about a week.
- Late Sep – early Nov and late Mar – early Apr: north–south pairs like London–Sydney change twice in quick succession, moving between 9, 10, and 11 hours.
The reliable habit: never store a time difference in your head. Check the live difference on the world clock, or read our meeting-planning guide for how to write invitations that survive clock changes.
Why the dates can still change
DST rules are ordinary legislation, and countries amend them at short notice — sometimes weeks before a change. The IANA Time Zone Database tracks every amendment, and your devices update from it automatically (see how time zones work). That's also how gworldtime stays correct without you doing anything: the dates on this page are the scheduled rules as of publication, but the clock always reflects the latest database.
Read next: Daylight Saving Time explained · Best time to call internationally · UTC vs GMT