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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>Linda Collins</span> Thu, 02/28/2019 - 15:14
Let’s just can the program and have one time yearly, preferably the spring one where after work I can have some daylight.
<span>Michael J. Benardo</span> Wed, 02/20/2019 - 13:54
We passed an initiative last year to get rid of Daylight Savings Time here in California, and 2 years before that we passed one. Why are they still imposing it on us? We have said "NO". Why doesn't that matter?
<span>Paula</span> Tue, 02/19/2019 - 08:43
We don't need DST, go back to standard time. There is no purpose for DST what with stores & other companies running 24 hrs/day. There is no saving of energy & definitely no saving money in the general public's pocketbook. All it does is screw up peoples sleep cycles. War time, which is another name for DST, is mute in this day & age. The enemy strikes any time of day. Wake up people!
<span>Marc</span> Mon, 02/18/2019 - 18:32
I think that for the most part, DST is a good thing. But maybe 8 months of it( March through October) is a tad much. Thats 67% of the year we are ON DST, and only 33% on Standard Time. I think, that living in the North, where the days can be quite short in the winter, DST is a pleasant "counter" to that, where we can go from 4 pm sunsets in December to almost 9 pm in June. So, from that point of view, its a "good deal". Now, for my Southern friends, DST could actually for the most part, be implemented YEAR-ROUND given the fact that your days are not as short in winter( and not as long in summer), and You guys can afford to have that extra hour all of the time. Plus, it fits in with your "MILDER/ WARMER " climate. It wouldnt work all year round in the North. But, having the South on DST all the time and the North on it for 6 or 7 or 8 months would be confusing as well. Bottom line: IMO its a good thing, but maybe reduce it to 6 months a year ON and 6 months OFF. :)
<span>Annabelle</span> Sat, 01/19/2019 - 17:53
This whole thing about Daylight Saving Time is just plain unnatural! To be totally honest with you, it drives me mad! Being that I'm both totally blind and have Autistic Spectrum Disorder, I'm one of those girls who is resistant to change. And, I'm one of those girls who believes that Mother Earth (I don't believe in God, thank you), made our bodies to wake up with the sun, no matter what our clocks might say. Also, think of the poor farmers, whose cows, horses, pigs, sheep, chickens, and so on, are confused by the semi-annual madness of Spring Forward, Fall Back. Like me, the farmers and their animals don't care what time the clocks say, they wake up with the sun! I mean, in the spring and summer, I hear a rooster crow outside my window from the house behind my apartment building at 5:00 AM! Despite the fact that a law in Eugene, Oregon says that residents aren't allowed to have roosters in the city limits. Hens are OK, but roosters can get you in trouble! That is, unless of course you're a farmer. But then again, farms are usually out in the countryside. For me, this whole Daylight Saving Time is hard on me because it messes with my natural sleep patterns. It seems the only way I can adjust to Spring Forward is to go to bed at 9:00 when I usually go to bed at 10:00, and wake up at 4:23 when I usually wake up at 5:23. Another thing that drives me mad is I have to set my analog clocks an hour forward, because when Spring Forward begins, I'm an hour behind! When my alarm clock says 5:23, my computer's clock, which is on a satellite time server, automatically says 6:23! Even worse, I end up passing out in the afternoon when I want to stay awake. Then I end up staying awake for an hour and go to bed at 11:00 PM, when I usually go to bed at my regular time of 10:00 PM. Why can't we all just agree to stay on Standard Time? November 4, 2018 was the first night I slept well in 8 months! In 2015, I wrote a letter to all three senators in Oregon, and I got an answer saying that sure, Oregon can come off Daylight Saving Time, but it won't happen until 2021! That's ridiculous! Grrr it makes me grouchy in the mornings when we spring forward! I say stop it, and I say stop it now! I've got an idea. Why don't we all band together and make a movement to abolish this ridiculous, antiquated practice that is Daylight Saving time. Or, if we can't get rid of it altogether, let's make a plan to Spring Forward an hour for the three months of spring from March 20 to June 21, then go back an hour in the summertime, since the days are already longer in those months.
<span>Tori</span> Wed, 06/26/2019 - 20:26
I agree daylight savings makes me tired. I think we should be on standard time all year. I have a sleep disorder and I’m on the autistic spectrum.
<span>Harry</span> Sun, 11/04/2018 - 19:46
Dump Standard Time -- keep Daylight Saving Time.
<span>David Blackmon</span> Wed, 03/06/2019 - 11:01
I agree.
<span>Amy Silvey</span> Sun, 11/04/2018 - 08:07
it is only twice a year ... When will everybody just quite complaining about simple things.. It is a tradition... It has been around for centuries.. Why should we stop something that was started in the past?? Oh that's right we must progress in the future... right?? that doesn't seem to be going so good.. All you have to do is change the time once in spring and once in fall .. Stop being lazy and do it...
<span>Educatedemily</span> Mon, 10/28/2019 - 21:38
Dear sweet ignorant Amy, subtract 1908 from 2018 and tell us how many "centuries" are in that answer. Is math and history hard for you dear?