US Daylight Saving Time Dates

When Are the US Daylight Saving Time Dates for 2026-2031?

Every change happens at 2:00 a.m. local time on the Sunday listed. Mark the spring date if you hate losing an hour of sleep. Mark the fall date if you want that extra hour back.

These dates apply in all US states that observe DST. Arizona and Hawaii do not; see States That Don't Observe Daylight Saving.

What Happens on the Second Sunday in March?

At 2:00 a.m., clocks jump forward to 3:00 a.m. local time. You lose one hour. Standard time abbreviations (EST, CST, MST, PST) become daylight time (EDT, CDT, MDT, PDT). The sun rises later. It sets later. The evening gets longer.

In Washington, D.C. on the March equinox (20 March 2026): sunrise at 7:13 a.m.m., 12 hours 6 minutes of daylight.

What Happens on the First Sunday in November?

At 2:00 a.m., clocks fall back to 1:00 a.m. local time. Daylight time ends. Standard time returns. You gain one hour. Mornings brighten. Afternoons darken fast.

In Washington, D.C. on the December solstice (21 December 2026): sunrise at 7:22 a.m.m., 9 hours 26 minutes of daylight.

Why Do the US Daylight Saving Time Dates Drift Each Year?

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 tied DST to Sundays, not fixed calendar dates. March 1 can fall on any day of the week, so the second Sunday lands anywhere from March 8 to March 14. The first Sunday in November lands anywhere from November 1 to November 7.

Before 2007, DST started on the first Sunday in April and ended on the last Sunday in October. The 2005 Energy Policy Act moved the start three weeks earlier and the end one week later. That schedule took effect in 2007 and remains current.

Which Way Do the Clocks Go on Each US DST Date?

Spring forward. Fall back.

In March you set the clock one hour ahead. In November you set it one hour behind. The change happens at 2:00 a.m. local time, chosen to minimize disruption: few trains run, few flights depart, and most businesses are closed. Bars and late-shift workers feel it most. In some states, bars stay open an extra hour on fall-back night because the clock legally rewinds from 2:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

What the US Daylight Saving Time Date Table Tells You

The table runs from 2026 through 2031. Each year the spring date shifts by one day, then resets when the pattern wraps. The fall date follows the same drift.

Schedule across the transition carefully. The offset between US zones and Europe shifts for one to two weeks in spring and autumn because Europe changes clocks on different Sundays (last Sunday of March and last Sunday of October). A 9:00 a.m. Eastern call with London is an hour off during those misaligned weeks. Check the exact date.