EST and EDT are both Eastern Time. They're just the winter and summer versions of it. EST (Eastern Standard Time) is UTC−5 and applies in winter. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) is UTC−4 and applies from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. PST and PDT follow the same pattern on the West Coast: PST is UTC−8, PDT is UTC−7, and they switch on the same dates. So whether it's "EST or EDT right now" depends only on the date.
Eastern clocks use EDT (UTC−4) from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, and EST (UTC−5) the rest of the year. Pacific clocks switch between PDT (UTC−7) and PST (UTC−8) on the same dates.
EST vs EDT and PST vs PDT at a glance
| Zone | Standard time (winter) | Daylight time (summer) |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern | EST = UTC−5 | EDT = UTC−4 |
| Central | CST = UTC−6 | CDT = UTC−5 |
| Mountain | MST = UTC−7 | MDT = UTC−6 |
| Pacific | PST = UTC−8 | PDT = UTC−7 |
The "S" means standard and the "D" means daylight. Daylight time moves the clock one hour forward, so every daylight offset is one hour closer to UTC than the standard offset for the same zone.
The rule: what federal law says
Daylight saving time in the US is set by federal law. Under 15 U.S.C. § 260a, clocks in each time zone advance one hour starting at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and return to standard time at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. These dates came from the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and have applied since 2007, according to a Congressional Research Service report.
The change happens at 2:00 a.m. local time in each zone, so the East Coast switches first and the West Coast switches three hours later.
- Spring forward: at 2:00 a.m. EST the clock jumps straight to 3:00 a.m. EDT. The hour from 2:00 to 2:59 a.m. doesn't exist that night.
- Fall back: at 2:00 a.m. EDT the clock goes back to 1:00 a.m. EST. The hour from 1:00 to 1:59 a.m. happens twice, once in EDT and once in EST.
2026 and 2027 change dates
| Event | Date | Eastern | Pacific |
|---|---|---|---|
| DST starts 2026 | Sunday, March 8, 2026 | 2:00 a.m. EST → 3:00 a.m. EDT | 2:00 a.m. PST → 3:00 a.m. PDT |
| DST ends 2026 | Sunday, November 1, 2026 | 2:00 a.m. EDT → 1:00 a.m. EST | 2:00 a.m. PDT → 1:00 a.m. PST |
| DST starts 2027 | Sunday, March 14, 2027 | 2:00 a.m. EST → 3:00 a.m. EDT | 2:00 a.m. PST → 3:00 a.m. PDT |
| DST ends 2027 | Sunday, November 7, 2027 | 2:00 a.m. EDT → 1:00 a.m. EST | 2:00 a.m. PDT → 1:00 a.m. PST |
In UTC, the Eastern change happens at 07:00 UTC in March and 06:00 UTC in November. The Pacific change happens three hours later, at 10:00 UTC in March and 09:00 UTC in November.
So for 2026: it's EST from January 1 until March 8, EDT from March 8 until November 1, and EST again from November 1 to the end of the year. The Pacific zone follows the same calendar with PST and PDT.
Converting EST and EDT to UTC
The same local clock time maps to a different UTC time depending on the season:
| Local time | In UTC | Pacific equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 3:00 p.m. EST (January) | 20:00 UTC | 12:00 p.m. PST |
| 3:00 p.m. EDT (July) | 19:00 UTC | 12:00 p.m. PDT |
| 9:00 a.m. EST (January) | 14:00 UTC | 6:00 a.m. PST |
| 9:00 a.m. EDT (July) | 13:00 UTC | 6:00 a.m. PDT |
If you schedule calls with people outside the US, this is where errors creep in: a meeting fixed at 14:00 UTC is 9:00 a.m. in Eastern winter but 10:00 a.m. in Eastern summer. The UTC to EST converter handles the seasonal switch for you.
Pick a date and time and the converter applies EST or EDT automatically.
PST to EST Converter →Is Pacific always 3 hours behind Eastern?
Almost always. Because both zones switch on the same dates, PST to EST and PDT to EDT are both a 3-hour difference: noon in Los Angeles is 3:00 p.m. in New York all year. The only exception is the few hours between the Eastern switch and the Pacific switch on changeover night:
- On March 8, 2026, from 3:00 a.m. EDT to 6:00 a.m. EDT, Pacific is still on PST, so the gap is 4 hours.
- On November 1, 2026, from 1:00 a.m. EST to 4:00 a.m. EST, Pacific is still on PDT, so the gap is 2 hours.
Unless you're scheduling something in the middle of that night, you can treat it as a fixed 3 hours. Central Time is 1 hour behind Eastern all year as well; see the CST to EST converter.
Places that don't switch
Federal law lets a state exempt itself from daylight saving time, but only by staying on standard time all year. A state can't stay on daylight time permanently under 15 U.S.C. § 260a. According to the Congressional Research Service, Arizona, Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands don't observe DST.
That's why Arizona, which is on Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) all year, has the same clock time as California in summer (PDT is also UTC−7) and the same clock time as Denver in winter.
EST vs ET: which should you write?
Strictly speaking, writing "3 p.m. EST" in July refers to a time an hour off from what everyone on the East Coast is actually using. In everyday use, people read "EST" loosely as "Eastern Time," so the mistake rarely causes trouble. But in contracts, flight times, event listings and anything that converts to UTC, it can.
- Write "ET" or "Eastern Time" when you mean whatever the clocks in New York say on that date. This is the safest choice for invitations and schedules.
- Write "EST" or "EDT" only when you mean that specific offset, and check the date first.
- Write the UTC offset (UTC−4, UTC−5) when the audience is international or the time is going into software.
The same goes for the West Coast: "PT" or "Pacific Time" is always correct, while "PST" in summer is technically wrong.
Quick summary
- EST (UTC−5) and PST (UTC−8) are winter time. EDT (UTC−4) and PDT (UTC−7) are summer time.
- Daylight time runs from 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday of March to 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November.
- In 2026 that's March 8 to November 1. In 2027 it's March 14 to November 7.
- When in doubt, write ET or PT, or give the UTC offset.
For the bigger picture on time standards, UTC vs GMT explains the reference clock all of these zones are measured against, and Unix time explained shows how software avoids time zone confusion altogether. To compare more than two zones at once, use the Time Zone Converter.
Frequently asked questions
Is it EST or EDT right now?
It depends on the date. Eastern clocks use EDT (UTC−4) from 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday in March until 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday in November, and EST (UTC−5) the rest of the year. In 2026, EDT runs from March 8 to November 1.
What is the difference between PST and PDT?
PST (Pacific Standard Time) is UTC−8 and is used in winter. PDT (Pacific Daylight Time) is UTC−7 and is used during daylight saving time, on the same dates as EDT.
Is EST the same as ET?
No. ET (Eastern Time) means whatever the clocks in the Eastern zone show on a given date, which is EST in winter and EDT in summer. EST specifically means UTC−5.
What are the daylight saving time dates for 2027?
In 2027, daylight saving time starts on Sunday, March 14 at 2:00 a.m. local time and ends on Sunday, November 7 at 2:00 a.m. local time.
Does Arizona use daylight saving time?
No. Arizona and Hawaii, along with American Samoa, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, do not observe daylight saving time. Arizona stays on Mountain Standard Time (UTC−7) all year, which matches Pacific Daylight Time in summer.
Is Pacific time always 3 hours behind Eastern time?
Yes, except for a few hours on changeover nights. Both zones switch at 2:00 a.m. local time, so for about three hours the gap is 4 hours in March and 2 hours in November.