Daylight saving time 2026 ends at 2:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 1. Clocks go back one hour to 1:00 a.m., so the night gains an hour. It begins again on Sunday, March 14, 2027. Hawaii and most of Arizona do not take part and make no change at all.
the end of daylight saving time
That was November 1, 2026.
| Date and time | Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 2:00 a.m. local time |
|---|---|
| Direction | Clocks go back one hour, to 1:00 a.m. |
| Rule | First Sunday in November (Energy Policy Act of 2005, in force since 2007) |
| Sleep | One extra hour |
| States that do not change | Hawaii and Arizona, except the Navajo Nation |
| Territories that do not change | Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Northern Mariana Islands |
| Next change | Clocks go forward Sunday, March 14, 2027 |
What time do the clocks change?
At 2:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 1, clocks return to 1:00 a.m. The hour between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. is therefore lived twice. Because the rule is stated in local time rather than a single national instant, each time zone makes the change when its own clock reaches 2:00 a.m., so Eastern shifts first and Pacific three hours later.
Phones, computers and anything that syncs to a network handle this automatically. Devices that keep their own time, including car dashboards, ovens, microwaves and mechanical watches, have to be set by hand.
Which states do not observe daylight saving time?
Federal law lets a state exempt itself from daylight saving time and stay on standard time all year. Two states do. Hawaii has never observed it, and Arizona stopped in 1968, with the exception of the Navajo Nation, which does observe it in order to stay aligned with the parts of the reservation in Utah and New Mexico.
Five territories also remain on standard time year-round: Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. What a state cannot currently do on its own is the opposite: staying on daylight saving time permanently would require an act of Congress.
What actually changes when daylight saving time ends?
The total amount of daylight does not change; only the labelling does. Sunrise and sunset both move roughly one hour earlier on the clock. Practically, mornings get lighter and evenings get dark noticeably sooner, which is the change most people actually notice in the week that follows.
The effect is larger the further north you are. In the northern states the combination of the clock change and the approach of the winter solstice on December 21 means sunset arrives before 5:00 p.m. through most of November and December.
What are the daylight saving time dates for 2026 and 2027?
The current schedule comes from the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which took effect in 2007. It set daylight saving time to run from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, extending the period by about four weeks compared with the previous rule. Proposals to make daylight saving time permanent have been introduced in Congress repeatedly since then; none has become law, so the twice-yearly change remains in force.
Will daylight saving time become permanent?
Bills to make daylight saving time permanent have been introduced in Congress repeatedly under the name the Sunshine Protection Act. One passed the Senate by unanimous consent in March 2022 but was never taken up by the House of Representatives, so it did not become law. Later versions have been reintroduced without passing.
States cannot act unilaterally in that direction. Federal law lets a state opt out of daylight saving time and remain on standard time all year, which is what Hawaii and Arizona have done. Adopting permanent daylight saving time is the opposite move, and it would require Congress to change the law first. That asymmetry is why several state legislatures have passed permanent-daylight-time bills that cannot take effect.
Related dates
Frequently asked questions
How many days until daylight saving time ends?
Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The countdown at the top of this page shows the days remaining in your own time zone.
Do the clocks go forward or back in November 2026?
Back. At 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026, clocks return to 1:00 a.m., which means one extra hour.
What day does daylight saving time end?
The first Sunday in November each year. In 2026 that is November 1; in 2027 it is November 7.
Which states do not change their clocks?
Hawaii and Arizona, except for the Navajo Nation, remain on standard time all year. So do Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands.
When do the clocks go forward again?
Daylight saving time resumes at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 14, 2027, when clocks go forward one hour.