Is Daylight Saving Time Active Right Now? US and Europe Status — April 2026

Yes — as of April 2026, daylight saving time is active in the United States, the United Kingdom, and across the European Union. All three regions have already sprung forward this year and will not fall back until autumn. Below is the current offset for every major zone, when each region made the switch, and when the clocks go back.

Current DST Status: April 2026

United States: DST Rules and 2026 Dates

In the US, Daylight Saving Time begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November. In 2026, that means clocks sprung forward on March 8 and will fall back on November 1. The change happens at 2:00 AM local time in each zone — not simultaneously across the country.

The practical result: as of April 2026, the US East Coast is on EDT (UTC−4) rather than its winter offset of EST (UTC−5). New York is currently 4 hours behind UTC, not 5. This matters when interpreting timestamp strings or scheduling calls with international partners.

Two US states and several territories do not observe DST. Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) stays on MST (UTC−7) year-round. Hawaii stays on HST (UTC−10) year-round. US territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, and the US Virgin Islands also do not observe DST.

United Kingdom: DST Rules and 2026 Dates

The UK observes British Summer Time (BST) from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October. In 2026: clocks sprang forward on March 29 at 1:00 AM GMT (clocks moved to 2:00 AM BST) and will fall back on October 25 at 2:00 AM BST (reverting to 1:00 AM GMT).

During BST, the UK is at UTC+1. During winter (GMT), the UK is at UTC+0. In April 2026, the UK is on BST. New York (EDT) is at UTC−4 and London (BST) is at UTC+1, so London is 5 hours ahead of New York. The gap matches the winter standard difference because both regions are on summer time. Between mid-March and the last Sunday of March each year there is a brief 4-hour window when the US has already sprung forward but the UK has not — once the UK switches, the gap returns to 5 hours.

European Union: DST Rules and 2026 Dates

EU member states all change their clocks on the same dates, set by the 2001 EU directive. Clocks spring forward on the last Sunday of March and fall back on the last Sunday of October. In 2026: spring forward March 29 at 1:00 AM UTC; fall back October 25 at 1:00 AM UTC.

Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) is the most common EU winter zone. In summer, those countries shift to Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2). In April 2026, all of Central Europe — including Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, and Austria — is on CEST (UTC+2).

Note that the EU voted in 2019 to abolish DST, but the Council of the EU never implemented the change. As of April 2026, no abolition has taken effect. The EU continues to observe seasonal clock changes.

The US–EU Gap: How It Affects April 2026

The US sprang forward on March 8 while the EU waited until March 29. During those three weeks, the transatlantic time difference narrowed by one hour. By March 29, both regions were on summer time and the gap returned to normal.

In April 2026, both the US and EU are fully on summer time. The New York to London difference is the standard 5 hours. New York to Paris/Berlin is 6 hours. This will remain stable until autumn, when Europe falls back on October 25 but the US holds until November 1 — creating another brief window where the gap shifts.