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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>Lowell C</span> Thu, 10/01/2015 - 12:50
I have thought for a long time a good comformise on DST or not is to set it half way between the two and leave it there permanently. Time is arbitrary anyway and it would make everyone a little more pleased than continuing to change it. In the summer we would still have 30 minutes extra daylight in the evenings compared to standard time. In winter it would be daylight only 30 minutes later than current standard time and would get dark 30 minutes later. It will never happen but if we think outside the box just a little this could work well.
<span>Voltisart</span> Sun, 11/06/2016 - 03:12
I think that those of you suggesting this compromise seem to miss the global picture. Phone calls, flight plans, business transactions and anything dealing with the world outside our borders, all needing to be offset by X hours plus ("Or is it minus? I can never remember!") a newly added 30 minutes. There are already little countries, (most of them that I've noticed are sea-bound,) with time zones that are offset by partial hours due to alignment between standard zones. They're already used to it, however, and only set it up that way to avoid using two time zones in a small area. For a land mass the size of the United States, or any of its silly friends who do this, to be offset from the world by half an hour would be a bigger, more expensive hassle than the way things are now, with sorting time zones. The box is bigger than most people reckon. Just kill DT. Kill it with fire. If you need to get up at a different time, you can change your alarm. You can be uncomfortable and distracted for days or weeks. You can take on the health risks for things you need to do during the day, rather than place those risks on millions of other people. The tail should not wag the dog.
<span>Bellyman</span> Thu, 10/01/2015 - 10:47
I like where our clocks are set at with Daylight Savings Time. How about we leave it right where it is and quit messing with it? We don't have to change it back. At least two states (and part of at least one other) do not change, at all, ever, and they do just fine. I don't like having it get dark at 4:30 in the afternoon when it goes back to Standard time. I'd rather have the daylight toward the end of the day rather than the beginning. Or, if you don't like that idea, here's another one; move the clocks 1/2 hour one time and call it "Adjusted Time" and then LEAVE IT ALONE, forever.
<span>Lacydeeds</span> Thu, 10/01/2015 - 09:39
Cows still don't pay attention to our clocks. Regardless of what time the clock says, the farmers have to adjust to the cows. Human bodies don't pay attention to our clocks, yet we "adjust" twice a year to a number on a clock. I used to live in Arizona and it was easy living because we weren't focused on what the clock read. In all the other states, all living things - babies, hospitals, pets have to adjust to sleep patterns twice a year. If the clocks don't change, the stress level would go down. I stand with letting nature alone. I don't like going against the natural order of Mother Nature.
<span>Barb Black</span> Thu, 10/01/2015 - 08:58
I have night blindness so I really appreciate daylight savings time. It allows me more time to do things I enjoy and still get home by dark.
<span>Agent Orange 55</span> Thu, 10/01/2015 - 08:13
I despise DST. Any benefits were debatable 80 years ago, but certainly today in the modern world, there is no question, that there is NO benefit to DST, and many, many, many drawbacks. But if we must have DST, then it should be year round. Changing the clocks twice a year has been proven to lead to increased accidents, increased deaths, no energy savings, no benefit at all. Whatever time we pick, we should stay on that time permanently.
<span>Tara C</span> Wed, 09/30/2015 - 06:46
When daylight savings time begins it takes me months to adjust and there are many many mornings that I am just "OFF". You wouldn't think one hour can make such a difference in a day but it truly does and it's very bothersome to me personally. Every day for at least two months I wake up tired and that is a horrible feeling....
<span>Ryan Franco</span> Sun, 09/27/2015 - 20:55
Ummm....I really am indifferent on the issue, but to those who complain about losing daylight have been mistooken...the sun shines the same amount of time weather you wake up at 5 or 6. So, utilize your time and just wake up earlier. Lazy fat kids has way less to do with dst and more to do with lazy parents.
<span>Rhonda Young</span> Fri, 09/25/2015 - 22:04
I really wish they would not put the clocks back. I leave to work in the dark and i enjoy the drive home in the daylight. When they set the clocks back on Nov.1st. I will be coming home in the dark...and i HATE it....please lets not set them back this year.:-) then we dont have to spring ahead in spring. Pleaseeeeee hear me.
<span>Kathy Sanders</span> Fri, 09/25/2015 - 19:43
Please! Keep it year round!!!!