Live Pacific Time Clock
California, Washington, Oregon, most of Nevada, and the Idaho panhandle all run on this clock. When you book a meeting with someone in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, San Diego, or Las Vegas, this is the number you use.
Is It PST or PDT Right Now?
The abbreviation changes twice a year. The live indicator next to the clock tells you which one is active.
- PST (Pacific Standard Time): UTC−8. Active from the first Sunday in November until the second Sunday in March.
- PDT (Pacific Daylight Time): UTC−7. Active from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November.
Right now, it is [PST/PDT]. If you are scheduling for a date after the next clock change, check the DST dates on the Daylight Saving Time page.
Pacific Time UTC Offset Explained
The offset tells you how many hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) the zone is.
| Period | Abbreviation | UTC Offset | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Time | PST | UTC−8 | November to March |
| Daylight Time | PDT | UTC−7 | March to November |
When it is 12:00 UTC, it is 04:00 PST or 05:00 PDT. The live clock and offset display update automatically.
States and Major Cities on Pacific Time
Fully on Pacific Time: - California - Washington
Partially on Pacific Time: - Oregon: Most of the state. A small area in the east around Ontario and Baker City uses Mountain Time. - Nevada: Most of the state. The town of West Wendover, on the Utah border, uses Mountain Time. - Idaho: The panhandle north of the Salmon River (including Coeur d'Alene and Lewiston). The rest of Idaho uses Mountain Time.
Major cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Las Vegas, Sacramento, San Jose, Oakland, Vancouver (Canada).
For the full list of states and boundary details, see Pacific Time Zone Explained.
Pacific Time vs Eastern: The Three-Hour Gap
Pacific Time is three hours behind Eastern Time. This holds year-round because both zones observe DST on the same schedule.
| Pacific Time | Eastern Time |
|---|---|
| 08:00 PT | 11:00 ET |
| 12:00 PT | 15:00 ET |
| 17:00 PT | 20:00 ET |
What this means for you: - A 10:00 a.m. meeting in New York happens at 07:00 a.m. in Los Angeles. - A 4:00 p.m. stand-up in San Francisco happens at 7:00 p.m. in New York. - The safe calling window across the country is roughly 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern (09:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Pacific).
For more on scheduling across zones, see Calling Across US Time Zones.
When Pacific Time Observes DST
Pacific Time follows the federal DST schedule set by the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (effective 2007).
- Spring forward: Second Sunday in March, 02:00 PT becomes 03:00 PDT.
- Fall back: First Sunday in November, 02:00 PDT becomes 01:00 PST.
In 2026, the spring change happens on 8 March and the fall change on 1 November. In 2027, spring is 14 March and fall is 7 November.
The exception to know: If you are scheduling with someone in Arizona or Hawaii, they do not observe DST. During PDT months, the gap changes. See States That Don't Observe Daylight Saving.
Who should do something different: A remote worker on the East Coast scheduling a recurring weekly meeting with a Pacific-based team should not default to 10:00 a.m. Eastern. That is 07:00 a.m. Pacific. Rotate the time or set it at 12:00 p.m. ET (09:00 a.m. PT) so the West Coast team is not consistently penalized.