When Does Daylight Savings Time Start: Dates for 2026, 2027, and Beyond, Plus Rules by Country

When Does Daylight Savings Time Start

Twice a year, hundreds of millions of people change their clocks. In spring, they lose an hour of sleep and gain an hour of evening light. In fall, they get the hour back. The dates shift a little each year, so the same question returns every winter: when does daylight savings time start?

In the United States, the answer is simple. Clocks move forward one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday in March. This guide lists the exact dates for the coming years, explains the rules in Canada, Europe, and other regions, and covers who skips the change. It also explains why the practice exists and how to make the switch easier on your body.

A quick note on the name: the official term is “daylight saving time,” with no “s” on “saving.” Most people say daylight savings, and both forms are widely understood. This article uses the common spelling.

The Short Answer

On the start date, 2:00 a.m. becomes 3:00 a.m. You lose one hour that night. Sunrise and sunset both come about an hour later by the clock.

When Does Daylight Savings Time Start in 2026?

If you are asking when does daylight savings time start in 2026, the date was Sunday, March 8, 2026. At 2:00 a.m. local time, clocks in most of the United States and Canada jumped to 3:00 a.m.

That date has now passed. The country is on daylight time until Sunday, November 1, 2026, when clocks fall back one hour. The next spring change comes on Sunday, March 14, 2027.

For details about the fall change, including what to expect and how to prepare, read this guide: When Does Daylight Savings Time End.

How the Rule Works

In the United States, federal law sets the schedule.

• Start: the second Sunday in March at 2:00 a.m. local time
• End: the first Sunday in November at 2:00 a.m. local time

Because the rule is tied to a Sunday and not a calendar date, the start falls between March 8 and March 14 each year. The year 2026 had the earliest possible date. The year 2027 has the latest.

The change happens at 2:00 a.m. in each time zone. So the Eastern time zone moves first, followed by Central, Mountain, and Pacific, each an hour apart.

“Spring Forward, Fall Back”

This old phrase is the easiest way to remember the direction.

• In spring, clocks spring forward one hour. You lose an hour of sleep.
• In fall, clocks fall back one hour. You gain an hour of sleep.

Phones, computers, smart watches, and most cars with connected systems change on their own. You may need to reset ovens, microwaves, wall clocks, older car clocks, and some thermostats by hand. Many people change them before bed on Saturday night.

Which U.S. States and Territories Do Not Change Clocks?

Federal law lets a state opt out and stay on standard time all year. Two states do.

• Hawaii. The state is close to the equator, so day length changes little across the year.
• Arizona. Most of the state stays on Mountain Standard Time. The extra evening sun would mean more heat in summer. The Navajo Nation, in the northeast of the state, does observe the change.

These U.S. territories also skip it:

• Puerto Rico
• Guam
• American Samoa
• The U.S. Virgin Islands
• The Northern Mariana Islands

Every other state changes clocks twice a year.

Does Canada Do Daylight Savings?

Many Americans ask, does Canada do daylight savings? Yes, most of Canada does, and on the same schedule as the United States. Clocks move forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November. That keeps trade, flights, and broadcasts in step across the border.

In Canada, though, time is a matter for provinces and territories, not the federal government. So there are exceptions.

So, does Canada do daylight savings everywhere? No. If you are traveling to or doing business with Saskatchewan, Yukon, or British Columbia, confirm the local time before you schedule anything.

Several provinces, including Ontario, have passed or discussed laws to stop the clock changes. Most have made action depend on what neighboring provinces and U.S. states do.

When Does It Start in Europe and the United Kingdom?

Europe uses a different schedule, and it calls the period “summer time.”

• Start: the last Sunday in March at 1:00 a.m. Coordinated Universal Time
• End: the last Sunday in October at 1:00 a.m. Coordinated Universal Time

All countries in the European Union change at the same moment. The United Kingdom follows the same dates and calls its version British Summer Time.

Because North America changes two to three weeks before Europe in spring, the usual time gap shrinks by one hour during that window. New York is normally five hours behind London. For those weeks in March, it is four. The same thing happens for about a week in fall. If you have calls across the Atlantic, check the time in both places during those periods.

The European Parliament voted in 2019 to end seasonal clock changes. Member states have not agreed on how to do it, so the changes continue.

Start Dates Around the World

In the Southern Hemisphere, the seasons are reversed. Clocks move forward in September or October and back in April.

Most of the world’s people do not change their clocks at all. The practice is mainly found in North America, Europe, and parts of Oceania, the Middle East, and South America.

Why Does the Time Change Exist?

The idea is to shift an hour of daylight from the early morning, when many people are asleep, to the evening, when they are awake.

A short history:

• 1784. Benjamin Franklin wrote a playful essay suggesting Parisians could save candles by waking earlier. He did not propose changing clocks.
• 1895. George Hudson, an entomologist in New Zealand, proposed a two-hour shift so he would have more light for collecting insects.
• 1907. William Willett, a British builder, campaigned for the idea in a pamphlet called “The Waste of Daylight.”
• 1916. Germany and its allies became the first countries to adopt it, to save coal during World War I. Britain and others followed.
• 1918. The United States adopted it for the first time. It was repealed the next year.
• 1942 to 1945. The United States used year-round “War Time.”
• 1966. The Uniform Time Act set a national schedule after years of local confusion. States could opt out.
• 1974. The country tried year-round daylight time during an energy crisis. Dark winter mornings proved unpopular, and the trial ended early.
• 2007. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 took effect. It moved the start to the second Sunday in March and the end to the first Sunday in November. That schedule is still in place.

A common myth says farmers asked for the change. In fact, many farmers opposed it. Their work follows the sun, and the shift disrupted their schedules.

Does It Save Energy?

Energy savings were the original goal. Modern studies find the effect is small. A U.S. Department of Energy report on the 2007 extension found a reduction in electricity use of about half a percent per day during the added weeks. Other studies have found no savings, or even small increases, since lower lighting use can be offset by more heating and air conditioning.

Supporters point to other benefits: more evening light for recreation and shopping, and possibly fewer evening road accidents. Critics point to the health costs of the spring change.

How the Spring Change Affects Your Body

Losing an hour seems minor. For many people, the effects last for days.

• Sleep loss. People sleep less on the night of the change and often for several nights after.
• Heart health. Studies have reported a small rise in heart attacks in the days after the spring change.
• Road safety. Research has found an increase in fatal car crashes in the week after clocks move forward.
• Mood and focus. Many people feel tired, irritable, and less alert.
• Workplace injuries. Some studies report more injuries on the Monday after the change.

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has called for ending seasonal clock changes in favor of permanent standard time, which it says fits human body clocks better.

How to Prepare for the Spring Change

A little planning makes the lost hour easier.

1. Shift your bedtime early. Go to bed 15 to 20 minutes earlier each night for three or four nights before the change.
2. Get morning light. Open the curtains or step outside soon after you wake. Light resets your body clock.
3. Keep a steady schedule. Eat meals and exercise at your usual clock times.
4. Limit caffeine and alcohol in the afternoon and evening.
5. Skip long naps. If you must nap, keep it to 20 minutes, early in the afternoon.
6. Dim screens at night. Bright light in the evening delays sleep.
7. Set clocks ahead on Saturday evening, so you wake up on the new time.
8. Drive with extra care in the first week, mainly on the Monday morning commute.
9. Help children adjust. Move bedtime and wake time by 10 to 15 minutes a day in the week before.

Fire departments also suggest testing smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms when you change your clocks.

Will the Clock Changes Ever End?

There is wide support for stopping the switch, but less agreement on what should replace it.

• The Sunshine Protection Act, a bill to make daylight time permanent across the United States, passed the Senate in 2022 but did not get a vote in the House. It has been introduced again in later sessions without becoming law.
• About 20 states have passed laws or resolutions to adopt year-round daylight time. Federal law allows a state to stay on permanent standard time, but permanent daylight time needs an act of Congress.
• Sleep scientists tend to favor permanent standard time. Many businesses and members of the public favor permanent daylight time.

Until Congress acts, the current schedule stays in force. Check the news each year for updates, since several proposals remain active.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does daylight savings time start each year? In the United States and most of Canada, on the second Sunday in March at 2:00 a.m. local time.

Do we gain or lose an hour in spring? You lose an hour. Clocks move from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.

When does it end? On the first Sunday in November. In 2026, that is November 1.

Is it “daylight saving” or “daylight savings”? The official name is daylight saving time. The version with the extra “s” is common in everyday speech.

Which states do not observe it? Hawaii and most of Arizona.

When does daylight savings time start in 2026 in Europe? European summer time began on Sunday, March 29, 2026.

Why does the change happen at 2:00 a.m.? That hour was chosen since few people are awake and few trains or businesses are running.

Does my phone change on its own? Yes, if it is set to update time automatically.

Does all of Canada change clocks? No. Most of Saskatchewan and Yukon do not, and British Columbia has moved to end the change.

Who started it? Germany adopted it first in 1916. George Hudson and William Willett proposed the modern idea.

Final Thoughts

So, when does daylight savings time start? In the United States and most of Canada, it begins on the second Sunday in March, when 2:00 a.m. becomes 3:00 a.m. In 2026, that was March 8. In 2027, it will be March 14. Europe and the United Kingdom follow on the last Sunday in March.

Not everyone takes part. Hawaii, most of Arizona, the U.S. territories, most of Saskatchewan, and Yukon keep one time all year. Debate over ending the change continues in Congress, in the provinces, and in Europe. For now, mark your calendar, shift your bedtime a few days ahead, and get outside in the morning light. The lost hour is easier to handle when you see it coming.

Key Takeaways

• The answer to when does daylight savings time start in the United States is the second Sunday in March at 2:00 a.m. local time.
• When does daylight savings time start in 2026? It began on Sunday, March 8, and it ends on Sunday, November 1.
• The next start dates are March 14, 2027, and March 12, 2028.
• Hawaii, most of Arizona, and the U.S. territories do not change clocks.
• Most of Canada follows the U.S. schedule, though most of Saskatchewan and Yukon do not change.
• Europe and the United Kingdom move clocks forward on the last Sunday in March.
• Go to bed a little earlier in the days before the change and get morning light to adjust faster.