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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>Dan Roberts</span> Sat, 11/02/2019 - 13:11
Noon should be approximated by its traditional definition of when the sun reaches its zenith in the sky each day, not by some government edict based upon war or productivity.
<span>Lil</span> Thu, 10/31/2019 - 23:15
You are crazy! We do NOT gain or lose an hour. We are not "saving time"! Are we so gullible we can fool ourselves? If businesses want extra time in the evening, then start an hour earlier in the summer. We are fools!
<span>Arla Robinson</span> Tue, 10/29/2019 - 11:34
Time to do away with it A few years ago the USA government changed the time frame. Made it shorter. Four months instead of six. I was so surprised they didn’t drop it. CRAZY Sure happy I live in Saskatchewan where we don’t participate
<span>Jim Whyte</span> Sat, 11/02/2019 - 22:55
Most of Saskatchewan is on Central zone time - the astronomical time at 90°W. Yet 105°W, the principal meridian for the Mountain zone, goes right down the middle of the province - through a pond just east of Lanigan, for example. If the province was on Mountain time, 12:00 would be solar noon. On Central Standard Time, solar noon is 1:00 pm. So it's more correct to say Saskatchewan never goes OFF daylight time, because the clocks are keeping a solar time that's just about perfect for the Esso station in Shebandowan, Ont.
<span>Jp</span> Mon, 10/28/2019 - 16:18
I hate changing the clocks, it gets harder to adjust to it as you get older. Keep DST all year long!! I like the extra light at night.
<span>Michele Hamlin</span> Tue, 10/22/2019 - 22:07
I would prefer they discard DST or leave it DST all the time. Don't like changing the clocks or the personal change.
<span>Bertha</span> Tue, 10/22/2019 - 14:37
I hate DST, I wish they would leave our clocks alone. I see no benefits in it at all. It's hard to keep trying to adjust to the time changes.
<span>Charles B Travis</span> Tue, 10/22/2019 - 14:08
When I was in high school in western Kentucky in the 1950s, we lived on a farm, and my father worked at the Atomic Plant. The plant was a Federal facility and went on Daylight Savings time, while the rest of western Kentucky remained on standard time. My Mom nearly went crazy keeping two clocks so Dad could get to work on time and we kids could catch the school bus at the right time. I finally explained to my Mom that this was non-sense. All she had to remember was that Dad worked from 07:00 am to 3:00 pm standard time. After that was settled, the only problem was that Dad and I had to tend animals on the farm in the dark before he went to work in the mornings. However, he had more hours of daylight for other farm work in the evenings.
<span>Linda Lee</span> Tue, 10/22/2019 - 13:00
“It is a gimmick that changes the relationship between ‘Sun’ time and ‘clock’ time but saves neither time nor daylight,” says Katherine Dutro, spokesperson for the Indiana Farm Bureau. I completely agree...(1) you have the same amount of daylight hours when you switch from Standard Time to DST; (2) DST lasts 8 months of the year - why don't we just keep it that way year round? Personally, I'd rather have that "extra" hour of daylight after work in November, December, January and February; and (3) no one I know likes to "switch" time, regardless of whether it is in April or November - pick one that stays all year round and call it "New Standard Time" as one reader suggests!
<span>Rononpi</span> Tue, 10/22/2019 - 09:12
Daylight saving time may be popular in some parts of the Country, but not here in Florida. DST actually costs us money by wasting electricity on air conditioning. Most people turn their their thermostat up about 5 degrees when they leave in the morning and return the setting to normal when they arrive home in the afternoon. Therefore the AC has to run hard for an extra hour until the sun goes down. That extra hour of AC usage uses many times the electricity "saved" by having the lights on one hour less in the evening.