Daylight Saving Time 2026: When Clocks Change Worldwide

If you have ever been caught off guard by DST and shown up an hour early (or late) to something important, you are not alone. Half the world rolls their eyes every spring and fall when clocks change -- and the other half forgets it happens.

Here are the daylight saving time dates for 2026 in every major region.

Quick Reference: Major Regions

📥 Full dataset (46 countries): CSV | JSON

United States and Canada

• Spring forward: March 8, 2026 at 2:00 AM (clocks move to 3:00 AM)
• Fall back: November 1, 2026 at 2:00 AM (clocks move to 1:00 AM)

Note: Arizona (except Navajo Nation) and Hawaii do not observe DST and stay on standard time year-round.

United Kingdom

• Clocks go forward: March 29, 2026 at 1:00 AM GMT to 2:00 AM BST
• Clocks go back: October 25, 2026 at 2:00 AM BST to 1:00 AM GMT

European Union

• Clocks go forward: March 29, 2026 at 1:00 AM UTC to 2:00 AM
• Clocks go back: October 25, 2026 at 2:00 AM to 1:00 AM

The EU voted in 2018 to abolish seasonal clock changes, but member states have not agreed on whether to stay on permanent summer or winter time. So the twice-yearly ritual continues for now.

Australia

Australia observes DST in the southern states only. Clocks change on different dates than the northern hemisphere because their seasons are reversed:

• Clocks go back (autumn): April 5, 2026 at 3:00 AM
• Clocks go forward (spring): October 4, 2026 at 2:00 AM

Queensland, Northern Territory, and Western Australia do not observe DST.

Countries That Don't Observe DST (Quick List)

Major economies without DST: Japan, China, India, Russia, Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico (most states now), Arizona/US, Saskatchewan/CA.

📥 Full list (126 countries): CSV | JSON

The Worst Week of the Year

The week after clocks change is statistically the worst for road accidents (sleep disruption affects reaction time), heart attacks (the spring forward correlates with a 24% increase in the following two days), and missed meetings (someone always forgets). If you schedule anything involving people across time zones, always double-check the week of a DST transition.

Planning Meetings Across DST Transitions

When your team spans multiple DST regimes, the week of a clock change is chaos. Our Meeting Planner automatically accounts for DST differences. Key tips:

• Schedule in UTC: Use UTC for recurring meetings; calendars auto-adjust for DST
• Check both sides: US and EU switch on different weekends (Mar 8 vs Mar 29 in 2026)
• Southern hemisphere is opposite: Australia/NZ/Chile move clocks opposite to US/EU
• Set calendar reminders: 2 weeks before each transition

Historical Context & Future

The EU voted in 2018 to abolish seasonal clock changes, but member states haven't agreed on permanent summer or winter time. Mexico abolished DST in 2022 (except border states). Brazil abolished DST in 2019. The US Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act (permanent DST) in 2022 but it stalled in the House.