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Daylight Saving Time 2026: When Does the Time Change?

daylight saving time scrabble tiles with a traditional black alarm clock set for 2:00
Image Credit:
SIAATH/Shutterstock
Written By: Jess Sullivan Digital Editor

In 2026, Daylight Saving Time starts on Sunday, March 8, when we “spring forward,” and ends on Sunday, November 1, when we “fall back.” The Sun keeps its own schedule, but most of the United States adjusts its clocks twice a year.

We move clocks ahead one hour in spring and back one hour in fall—losing an hour, then gaining it back. Keep the date chart below handy, check which places skip the change, and discover why farmers shouldn’t get the blame!

Daylight Saving Time Dates for 2026

“Spring forward, fall back” is a simple way to remember which direction the clock moves.

Time changeDateWhat happens
Spring forwardSunday, March 8, 2026Clocks move ahead 1 hour; we lose an hour
Fall backSunday, November 1, 2026Clocks move back 1 hour; we gain an hour

The time changes at 2:00 A.M., when most people are asleep. Consider changing your clocks before bed on Saturday, October 31, to avoid confusion in the morning!

When Does Daylight Saving Time Start in 2026?

Daylight Saving Time begins on Sunday, March 8, 2026, at 2:00 A.M. local time. The clock moves forward to 3:00 A.M., and we lose one hour.

After the change, sunrise and sunset happen about an hour later by the clock. The Sun’s schedule doesn’t change, of course. We just change how our time matches up with daylight.

When Does Daylight Saving Time End in 2026?

Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2:00 A.M. local time. The clock moves back to 1:00 A.M., and we gain one hour.

After this change, sunrise and sunset are about an hour earlier by the clock. That means brighter mornings and darker evenings.

Learn more about when DST ends in 2026 and the clocks go back. 

When Does Daylight Saving Time Start and End Each Year?

Under current U.S. law, Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. All times below are local.

  • Daylight Saving Time starts on the second Sunday in March.
  • Daylight Saving Time ends on the first Sunday in November.
YearDaylight Saving Time BeginsDaylight Saving Time Ends
2026Sunday, March 8 at 2:00 A.M.Sunday, November 1 at 2:00 A.M.
2027Sunday, March 14 at 2:00 A.M.Sunday, November 7 at 2:00 A.M.
2028Sunday, March 12 at 2:00 A.M.Sunday, November 5 at 2:00 A.M.
2029Sunday, March 11 at 2:00 A.M.Sunday, November 4 at 2:00 A.M.

Do All States Observe Daylight Saving Time?

No. Most of the United States observes Daylight Saving Time, but Hawaii and most of Arizona do not. One notable exception in Arizona is the Navajo Nation—they do observe Daylight Saving Time.

The U.S. territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands also do not observe Daylight Saving Time.

For the latest on proposals to stop changing the clocks, see Will We Ever Stop Changing the Clocks? The Fight Over DST.

Why Do We Have Daylight Saving Time?

Daylight Saving Time changes how our daily schedules line up with the Sun, so we can use seasonal daylight differently throughout the year.

The United States started using Daylight Saving Time in 1918 during World War I to help reduce the use of electricity.

The Uniform Time Act of 1966 set a national schedule for Daylight Saving Time. Congress changed the dates again in the Energy Policy Act of 2005. Since 2007, Daylight Saving Time has started on the second Sunday in March and ended on the first Sunday in November.

And let’s debunk a common myth: Daylight Saving Time wasn’t created for farmers! In fact, many farmers opposed it when it was introduced—their work followed the Sun, while markets and transportation followed the clock.

Did you know? Benjamin Franklin, the father of the modern almanac, wrote a satirical essay in 1784 about how rising with the sun could help save money on candles.

Is It “Daylight Saving” or “Daylight Savings” Time?

Daylight Saving Time is the correct term. There’s no “s” at the end of “Saving.”

Still, lots of people say “Daylight Savings Time” in everyday conversation, so you’re not alone if you do!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Do we gain or lose an hour during Daylight Saving Time?
    When Daylight Saving Time starts in spring, we set the clocks forward and lose an hour. When it ends in fall, we set the clocks back and gain an hour.
  • What time do the clocks change?
    Clocks change at 2:00 A.M. local time in most of the United States, a time when few people are working, traveling, or doing business. 
  • Will my phone change automatically for Daylight Saving Time?
    Most smartphones, computers, and other devices that are connected to the internet update themselves if you have them set to update date, time, and time zone automatically.
    You might still need to change the time by hand on things like appliances, cars, or wall clocks.
  • Does Canada change clocks on the same day as the United States?

    Some parts of Canada still change their clocks on the same schedule as the United States. However, provinces and territories set their own time rules, and several of them stopped changing clocks in 2026.

    British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and the Northwest Territories will not turn their clocks back on November 1, 2026. Yukon and Saskatchewan also use one time year-round.

    Other parts of Canada, including most of Ontario and Quebec and the Atlantic provinces, continue to observe seasonal time changes.

Calendar
Sources
  1. U.S. Navy Office — Daylight Saving Time
  2. U.S. Department of Transportation — Daylight Saving Time
  3. U.S. Library of Congress — Daylight Saving Time (DST)
  4. U.S. Department of Transportation — Uniform Time
  5. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — Daylight Saving Time Rules

About The Author

Jess Sullivan

Jess Sullivan

Digital Editor

As Digital Editor of The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Jess is dedicated to bringing readers content that is accurate, clear, useful, and engaging. She has years of experience crafting written communications ...

Read more from Jess Sullivan

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Comments

<span>Karen Raber</span> Sat, 03/12/2022 - 23:21
I would like to stop it as we live in the California desert. We welcome the setting of the summer sun! With so many studies showing the harmful effects of the change on all of us, I think it best to leave it the same.
<span>Audrey Wilson</span> Sat, 03/12/2022 - 21:55
I do not like it. I have a problem sleeping and waking from the day it starts or spring forward until it ends or fall back. I think our government needs to do away with it.
<span>Daniel Hulseapple</span> Sat, 03/12/2022 - 21:38
Daylight Saving Time has NEVER appealed to me. Since the age of 5, the change in the clocks and therefore the change in the time of specific activities has made me sick. I cannot remember a single year that I adjusted to the forward change in the clocks. Even getting up earlier to go to school made accomplishing daily activities completely out of sync until the clocks were set back to standard (natural) sun time. The same thing happened after started working: daylight saving time made my workdays completely unnatural for the entire period of "saving" time; but once the clocks were returned to their normal (natural) setting, I was back in the best work time for me. Even today, as a retired 8 year old individual, I do not make appointments on daylight saving time: I use the corresponding natural time, which is one hour later than the clocks set to daylight time. A 9:30 appointment in the winter time has to be a 10:30 appointment in the summer. My body just does not function as I need it to do any time earlier. Like another commenter said, if a business owners has to start his day earlier, just start it an hour earlier during the summer, and LEAVE THE DARN CLOCKS ALONE!
<span>Belinda</span> Sat, 03/12/2022 - 21:38
Why can't we leave it at daylight savings time alot of states are already doing this why do we have to be a at the bottom of the list So we lose an hour of sleep some of us get up with chickens anyway so why not leave it alone
<span>Daniel Hulseapple</span> Sat, 03/12/2022 - 21:37
Daylight Saving Time has NEVER appealed to me. Since the age of 5, the change in the clocks and therefore the change in the time of specific activities has made me sick. I cannot remember a single year that I adjusted to the forward change in the clocks. Even getting up earlier to go to school made accomplishing daily activities completely out of sync until the clocks were set back to standard (natural) sun time. The same thing happened after started working: daylight saving time made my workdays completely unnatural for the entire period of "saving" time; but once the clocks were returned to their normal (natural) setting, I was back in the best work time for me. Even today, as a retired 8 year old individual, I do not make appointments on daylight saving time: I use the corresponding natural time, which is one hour later than the clocks set to daylight time. A 9:30 appointment in the winter time has to be a 10:30 appointment in the summer. My body just does not function as I need it to do any time earlier. Like another commenter said, if a business owners has to start his day earlier, just start it an hour earlier during the summer, and LEAVE THE DARN CLOCKS ALONE!
<span>Carol</span> Sat, 03/12/2022 - 20:39
You can change what the clock says, but you obviously cannot change the length of daylight. If everyone stayed on standard time year round, it would save us the chore of clock changing and the week of exhaustion as we adjust to DST every year. I do not find going back to standard time as difficult on the sleep end of things. Instead of changing clocks for everyone, businesses could just change their business open hours (summer hours and winter hours), if they feel it is that important to take advantage of light at one end of the day or the other. In northern areas, where the temperatures are warm enough in spring and summer, to have drive-in movies, it is too light (with DST) to start the movie until nearly 10:00, making it REALLY late when it is over; sometimes 1:00 in the morning. It is a dilemma. I can see both sides and there will always be one side that is not happy. Whose turn it is now?
<span>Terry Foret</span> Sat, 03/12/2022 - 22:25
Keep it the way we started like now sting ahead would be fine with me more day light is good for the soul ….,
<span>Carol Dee</span> Sat, 03/12/2022 - 20:39
Living in Alaska as I do, there really is no need to extend the hours of daylight on the clock during the summer months, as the sun itself takes care of that for us with 24 hour daylight in certain parts of our state. Not much is gained in the winter by fiddling with the hour of sunset, except perhaps by the providers of illumination! The disruption of biological rhythms twice a year is very confusing to many people, especially elders and small children and, by extension, their caregivers. I feel it as just another arbitrary nuisance imposed upon the population at the whim of .... who knows who. Our lives are already too much controlled by the clock - let us learn to live with nature's rhythms for both our mental and physical health. We already are required to adjust our doings according to Time Zones across our vast own continent and in order connect with the rest of the world - can't we just leave it at that? Suppose I do not live long enough to have the hour taken from my day in March returned to me in November? Who benefits by it? Where is it stored while I wait to have it back?
<span>Rachel Lindsey</span> Sat, 03/12/2022 - 20:13
Standard hours!!! DST is the dumbest thing in the world and with modern age, we don’t need to conserve candle power. Plus we all know the changing of the seasons. We know when the days start to get longer and shorter. If we need to adjust for those hours then we set alarms to wake ourselves up. For those of us who work night shift it doesn’t matter about longer or shortest days. It’s dark when I go to work it’s dark when I get off.
<span>David Voyles</span> Sat, 03/12/2022 - 20:06
I do not like daylight saving time.