Don’t forget to put this on your calendar since the 2026 “fall back” will take place early on Sunday, November 1. When it’s 2 a.m. local time, most of the United States will set its clocks back by one hour, thus ending daylight saving time and moving to standard time. You’ll get an extra hour’s sleep that night, but the daylight in the evening will decrease rapidly, sunsets coming about an hour earlier according to the clock.
U.S. Time Change Calendar for 2026–2027
Federal law determines that daylight saving time follows a set schedule, beginning on the second Sunday in March and ending on the first Sunday in November. Therefore, the next two changes will be:
Fall Back 2026
The autumn time change in 2026 (going back): on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2 a.m.
The clocks revert from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m. as they move from daylight time to standard time (from EDT to EST, from CDT to CST, etc.).
Spring Forward 2027
The start of Daylight Saving Time in 2027 (spring forward) will be on Sunday, 14 March 2027, at 2 a.m.
The clocks leap from 2 a.m. to 3 a.m., switching back to daylight time (from EST to EDT, from CST to CDT, etc.).
During that period the country observes standard time, with sunrises and sunsets occurring at earlier times as winter draws near; after late December the Northern Hemisphere reaches the winter solstice—the day of the shortest daylight—after which daylight starts to increase slowly until the time of the spring change.
What “Fall Back” Feels Like in Real Life
The switch in November is generally less disruptive to people’s sleep than the change in spring since you in effect gain an extra hour’s sleep. However, the consequence becomes apparent in the late afternoon: trips to work, picking up children from school and other errands after work which used to occur in the daylight now have to be done in the dark. For many people, this means:
- Headlights on earlier during the evening rush
- Less time for outdoor activities after work or school
- Earlier dinner routines and adjusted family schedules
People who have young children usually find this change most apparent; for example, a bedtime at 7 p.m. during daylight saving time may seem like it’s at 6 p.m. during standard time, at least until the routines get used to it.
Devices That Change Automatically (and Ones That Don’t)
Most modern devices look after the time change themselves; phones, tablets, laptops and a number of smart home gadgets get their time from the internet and will adjust at 2 a.m. without you having to do anything.
Devices to Check Manually
Plan to check these manually, though:
- Wall clocks and bedside alarm clocks
- Microwaves, ovens, and some washers/dryers
- Car clocks and dashboard displays
- Thermostats, security keypads and older smart devices
A simple habit is to walk around your house before going to bed on Saturday, October 31, and set all the clocks that are not connected to a power source back by one hour so that when you wake up on the day of the time change everything will be in sync.
Which People Choose Not to Adopt the Time Change?
It is not the case that all people in the United States observe daylight saving time:
- Hawaii and the majority of Arizona remain on standard time throughout the year.
- American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are also not altering their clocks.
When you’re travelling to or phoning someone in those areas around November 1st, be sure to verify the local time since your phone might make the adjustment automatically but their clocks won’t.
Permanent Daylight Saving Time: Still Stuck in the Senate
There is considerable support for getting rid of the biannual clock change. Although nineteen states have already enacted laws to introduce permanent daylight saving time, they are unable to put such a change into effect without amendments to federal law. A proposal supported by the House for adopting year-round daylight saving time has however come to a standstill in the Senate, since some members of Congress are concerned about repeating the failed 1974 attempt which left many students having to go to school in winter darkness.
President Donald Trump has openly supported the adoption of permanent daylight saving time, on the grounds that it would make life easier and align more closely with current schedules. That said, if Congress does not take action before November, the planned fall-back in 2026 will proceed as before and Americans will have to set their clocks back on November 1.
Why We Change Clocks at All
National standardisation of daylight saving time took place in 1966 under the Uniform Time Act, and the present system of changing the time from March to November was introduced in 2007. The original reason was to transfer an hour of daylight from the morning into the evening so as to make more effective use of natural light and, in theory, to save energy.
At present, the case for energy savings is not so straightforward. Because of modern methods of lighting, heating and cooling, the overall savings are either small or even negative in certain areas. The discussion has now turned to the question of quality of life: those in support point out the advantage of more daylight in the evening for recreation, commuting and commerce, while the critics mention the disruption to sleep and possible health effects caused by changing the clocks twice each year.
Quick Reference: 2026–2027 Time Changes
- At 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1st the time will go back to 1 a.m. (Summer Time ends)
- In 2027 spring forward: on Sunday, March 14 at 2 a.m. it becomes 3 a.m. (Daylight Saving Time begins)
- Hawaii, the majority of Arizona, and the U.S. territories mentioned above
Make sure to keep this window accessible or save it in your notes in case you have to deal with the next shift.
