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When Does Daylight Saving Time End in 2026?

alarm clock on a table with fallen leaves surrounding it
Image Credit:
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Written By: Jess Sullivan Digital Editor

Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026, in most of the U.S. We “fall back” by setting clocks back one hour and return to Standard Time—gaining an hour along the way.

The official change happens at 2:00 A.M. local time, but there’s no need to stay up! You can turn clocks that need adjusting back before bed on Saturday, October 31. Expect lighter mornings and earlier evening darkness; the quick chart and sunrise and sunset tool below will help you plan around the light.

When Do the Clocks Go Back in 2026?

The clocks go back on Sunday, November 1, 2026, marking the end of Daylight Saving Time in 2026.

Fall Time Change 2026

DateSunday, November 1, 2026
Time2:00 A.M. becomes 1:00 A.M. local time
Clock direction“Fall back” one hour 
Do we lose or gain an hour?Gain an hour

Do We Lose or Gain an Hour When the Clocks Go Back?

We gain an hour when the clocks go back in fall. When 2:00 A.M. becomes 1:00 A.M., the hour from 1:00 to 2:00 happens twice, making the day one hour longer by clock time. 

You’ll often hear this described as getting an “extra hour of sleep,” although Harvard Health Publishing notes that many people don’t actually get that extra hour.

What Happens to Sunrise and Sunset After DST Ends?

“Fall back” is an easy way to remember the change: we set clocks back one hour and return to Standard Time. Sunrise and sunset then happen about an hour earlier by the clock, giving us lighter mornings and earlier evening darkness.

See when the Sun will rise and set where you live with our Sunrise and Sunset calculator.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology describes the change as moving one hour of daylight from the evening to the morning.

The extra morning light can be handy for harvesting the last vegetables from your fall garden—and less helpful when you planned to rake leaves after work and daylight has already slipped away.

Did you know? Turning clocks back doesn’t take away an hour of daylight. It simply changes when that daylight falls on our clocks.

Do All States Change the Clocks in Fall?

No. Hawaii and most of Arizona don’t observe Daylight Saving Time, so people there don’t change their clocks in fall. The Navajo Nation, including its territory in Arizona, does 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 don’t observe Daylight Saving Time.

Will we ever stop changing the clocks? Read about the debate over DST.

When Does Daylight Saving Time Start Again?

Daylight Saving Time starts on Sunday, March 14, 2027, at 2:00 A.M. local time. Clocks will move ahead to 3:00 A.M., which means we’ll lose an hour.

That’s the “spring forward” half of the seasonal clock change.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Did the time change today?

    It depends on when you’re reading this! Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 2:00 A.M. local time in most of the U.S. So if today is November 1, and you live in a place that observes Daylight Saving Time, the clocks went back one hour.

  • Do I set my clocks forward or backward in fall?

    Clocks are set back one hour in the fall when Daylight Saving Time ends on November 1, 2026. An easy way to remember is the saying “spring forward, fall back.”

  • What happens at 2:00 A.M. when DST ends?

    At 2:00 A.M. local time, clocks move back to 1:00 A.M. That hour happens twice, so we get an extra hour that day.

  • Do we gain or lose an hour when the clocks go back?

    We gain an hour when the clocks go back in fall. In spring, it’s the opposite: clocks move ahead, and we lose an hour.

  • Do I get an extra hour of sleep when DST ends?

    Maybe! When we set the clocks back in fall, the night is one hour longer, so you could get an extra hour of sleep. But whether you do depends on your routine…and how much your family likes sleeping in.

  • Do phones change automatically for Daylight Saving Time?

    Most smartphones and computers update the time by themselves if automatic date-and-time settings are turned on. But you might need to change the time by hand on things like wall clocks, ovens, or car clocks.

  • Are we on Standard Time after the clocks change in fall?

    Yes. When Daylight Saving Time ends on November 1, 2026, the parts of North America that observe the fall time change go back to Standard Time.

Sources
  1. Harvard Health Publishing — Daylight Saving Time "fall back" doesn’t equal sleep gain
  2. U.S. Naval Observatory — Daylight Saving Time
  3. U.S. Department of Transportation — Daylight Saving Time
  4. 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 ...

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