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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>Mizha</span> Sun, 11/02/2014 - 07:54
I like DST ...as you get more sunshine after working hours...i wish they kept it thru winter. A lot of people get mild to moderatle de pression from fewer light hours in winter. Life is not so hard to change a clock. twicw a year now.
<span>A Evans</span> Fri, 08/28/2015 - 23:30
it can only work when the northern hemisphere is closest to the sun. If it stayed the same year round our sunlight would be early in the morning before anybody was out of bed.
<span>Eugene Wiese</span> Tue, 10/28/2014 - 16:42
If you want to go by sun time, then eliminate time zones which do not follow the sun. That would mean that correct time would change whenever you moved to a new place other than true north or south of where you started. But you would still change time in respect to day or night which changes whenever you travel north or south. You would also have the seasons changing as you went north or south. I think I will keep the present system.
<span>Charles1986</span> Tue, 09/01/2015 - 03:26
There is no different season for north south east west. An far as time zones r u eduacated. Any were in the us when the sun sets directlt above ur head it is noon apparently uv growed up with modern civilization which i grew up living with lat 1800 early 1900. North south east west different seasons my god man no matter were u r. Fall will arrive all over watcj the trees animals grass insects or ur not from a place u have to know it to survive
<span>Revwill</span> Sun, 11/01/2015 - 01:07
If you travel from New York City to Sydney Australia in December you will go from winter to summer. From freezing temperatures to upper 90s and maybe even 100s. You obviously have no clue how seasons and hemispheres work. Go back to school and leave the conversation to tje adults.
<span>Gary_Lankford</span> Sat, 10/25/2014 - 09:07
Standard or DS time, the system we use of 24 hours of equal length is from Babylon and nothing good ever came from Babylon... The Jewish system divided the day by the position of the sun, hence mid-day always being when the sun is overhead and midnight halfway through the night. Sunset began the day and ended it. This is the pattern of nature, and of God, if you will... Such a pattern, implemented today would give shortened hours during the winter, and longer hours during the summer, with daytime and nighttime hours most nearly equal at the equinoxes, but work times proportional to the days length, year round. The effect would be to have longer work days in the summer and shorter in the winter; this is cow-time... With modern electronics, clocks could be made to accurately make the constant changes, or eliminated in favor of the sun-dial... For scientific purposes the ideal second could be retained for precision measurement, but that kind of precision doesn't really fit our life rhythms; that's why we are so screwed up, forced into cycles that are unnatural, Babylonian. I expect that near 100% will object to the implementation of this system, but it is essentially the system we will all revert to, if ever the SHTF.
<span>Kyle Midkiff</span> Sun, 10/19/2014 - 06:26
I understand and appreciate all of the arguments against DST, but I like it. I can't sleep well after sun rise, and though retired now, I used to enjoy the extra daylight after work to get outside. For those people with 9to5 jobs, extra daylight after work for outside sports activities is a big deal. Back in the 70's, Richard Nixon kept the nation, as I remember, on DST all year. The main complaint was that children were forced to wait for the morning bus in the dark, which was believed to be not as safe. We went back to ST during the winter.
<span>Bonnie King</span> Tue, 10/14/2014 - 21:57
NO, I don't like DST. An unnecessary inconvenience.
<span>Joharejim</span> Thu, 09/25/2014 - 22:29
Since daylight saving time is roughly 7 to 8 months long, hasn't it become the new "standard" time? And why aren't the start and stop times equi-distant from the solstice? We change the clocks 6 to 7 weeks before the winter solstice but don't change them back until 10 to 11 weeks after the winter solstice. Maybe we should just split the difference by changing the clocks a half hour and be done with it.
<span>Delta</span> Wed, 10/15/2014 - 21:17
I think it's useless. It does not change the amount of daylight or dark.