When Do the Clocks Change for Daylight Saving Time 2026?

For daylight saving time 2026 in the United States, clocks move forward one hour on March 8 at 2 a.m. local time and return to standard time on November 1 at 2 a.m. local time. This period spans about 238 days, or roughly 65 percent of the year. Countries and regions outside the United States follow distinct schedules for changing their clocks, while other areas skip the practice entirely.

United States 2026 Schedule

In the United States, daylight saving time for 2026 runs from March 8 until November 1. This period gives you extra sunlit hours in the evening during the warmer months.

Daylight saving time starts on the second Sunday in March at 2 a.m. local time. At that moment, you need to move your clocks ahead by one hour to 3 a.m. If you look at your bedside alarm clock when you go to bed on Saturday night, you will set it forward before you wake up on Sunday morning.

The change back to standard time happens on the first Sunday in November at 2 a.m. local time. When this occurs, you move your clocks back one hour from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. This shift returns you to standard time for the colder months of the year.

International 2026 Dates

If you live in the United Kingdom or parts of Australia, the schedule for shifting your clocks follows a different rhythm than North America. You will need to adjust your timepieces twice during the year to align with local policies.

Here is when the changes happen in these regions for 2026.

Remember that not all parts of Australia observe these rules. New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory make the shift, while other regions stay on standard time year-round. If you have family or work contacts in London or Sydney, keeping track of these exact weekends stops you from missing a meeting or a flight.

Regions That Do Not Observe Daylight Saving Time

Not every place follows the seasonal clock shifts. If you live in Hawaii or most of Arizona, you don’t need to change your clocks twice a year. American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands also stay on standard time year-round.

Federal law gives individual states the power to make this choice. Arizona originally opted out under this rule, but a specific part of the state handles things differently. The Navajo Indian Reservation inside Arizona does follow the time changes, which can mean shifting your watch just by crossing a reservation boundary.

Places outside the United States also skip these adjustments. If you travel to China, you won’t experience the spring forward or fall back routine. Australia also splits its practices by region. While some areas shift their clocks, the Northern Territory, Queensland, and Western Australia keep their time the same all year.

History of Daylight Saving Time

Germany first introduced daylight saving time in 1916 during the First World War to save energy. The United States followed this example in 1918 as another wartime measure, though the country repealed it a year later.

If you looked at the calendar in 1942, you would see the practice returned during the Second World War. The Department of Transportation handles time zones and daylight saving time across the United States today.

Before 1966, states and local towns chose their own schedules for shifting clocks. This created massive confusion for anyone traveling or scheduling trains across state borders. Congress fixed this by passing the Uniform Time Act in 1966 to create standard start and end dates.

The rules shifted again during the 1974 energy crisis when the nation tried permanent daylight saving time. Public complaints about dark winter mornings caused Congress to repeal that trial after just one winter.

The most recent change happened in 2007 under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. This law extended the duration of daylight saving time by about one month, giving you the schedule you follow today.

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Health and Safety Impacts

Losing an hour of sleep each spring brings measurable health and safety risks. Researchers have found that the risk of stroke, heart attacks, and traffic accidents increases in the days following the spring shift to daylight saving time.

Your body struggles to adapt to the sudden schedule disruption. More than half of respondents in an American Academy of Sleep Medicine survey reported feeling extremely or somewhat tired after the spring shift to daylight saving time.

This widespread exhaustion creates real hazards on the road and in daily life. When you commute to work or run errands during the first week of the new time, you share the road with many other drivers who are running on less sleep than usual. Plan ahead by going to bed slightly earlier in the days leading up to the shift, and give yourself extra time on your morning journeys.