Daylight Saving Time Ends November 1, 2026: What Changes and Which Clocks to Check
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How we wrote this: A summary of the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) daylight saving time page, checked October 29, 2026. The 2027 dates are worked out from the rule NIST describes (second Sunday in March, first Sunday in November).
The short answer
NIST's daylight saving time page says that during 2026, daylight saving time is in effect from March 8 at 2 a.m. local time to November 1 at 2 a.m. local time.
So on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2:00 a.m., the local time becomes 1:00 a.m. again. In NIST's words, "that hour is repeated, so there is an extra hour in that day." That's the "fall back" half of "spring forward, fall back."
What actually changes
Clocks moving back an hour shifts an hour of daylight from the evening to the morning, as NIST describes it. Expect brighter mornings and earlier sunsets right after the change, on top of the days already getting shorter toward the winter solstice.
Who doesn't change
According to NIST, daylight saving time is not observed in:
- Hawaii
- Arizona, except the Navajo Nation (Navajo Indian Reservation), which does observe it
- American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands
So on November 1, the time difference between, say, New York and Phoenix shrinks by an hour. If you schedule calls with clients in those places, double-check meeting times for the week after the change.
Which clocks fix themselves, and which don't
Phones, computers and other internet-connected devices. NIST explains that its internet time service sends Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), and your operating system applies your time zone and daylight saving rules. That's why an up-to-date phone or computer changes on its own. It also means devices with very old, unpatched software are the ones most likely to get it wrong.
Radio-controlled ("atomic") clocks. NIST's WWVB radio signal includes information on whether DST is in effect, so these clocks should change automatically. If one shows the wrong time after the change, NIST suggests:
- Check that it has synced recently (many have a signal indicator)
- Check its time zone setting
- In places that don't observe DST, such as Arizona, turn off its automatic DST feature
"Auto-set" clocks that don't receive a signal. Clocks sold under names like "AUTOSET" or "SMARTSET" change themselves using dates built into their firmware, without any time signal. NIST warns that some of them no longer work properly because of the 2007 rule change and will switch on the wrong date, so you may need to set them by hand or contact the maker.
Everything else. Oven and microwave clocks, many car clocks, older alarm clocks, thermostats and timers on lights, sprinklers or coffee makers usually need a manual change. Make a quick list so you don't miss one.
A quick checklist for the weekend
- Saturday night: set non-connected clocks back one hour before bed, or plan to do it Sunday morning
- Check timers on lights, thermostats and anything on a schedule
- Check radio-controlled clocks after the change and resync if needed
- Confirm the time on security cameras or recorders, so footage is timestamped correctly
- If you run a business open overnight, look at schedules and timesheets that span 1:00 to 2:00 a.m. on November 1, since that hour happens twice
When it changes again
Under the rules NIST describes, DST begins at 2 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2 a.m. on the first Sunday of November. For 2027, that works out to:
| Date (2027) | Clock change | |
|---|---|---|
| DST begins | Sunday, March 14 | 2 a.m. becomes 3 a.m. |
| DST ends | Sunday, November 7 | 2 a.m. becomes 1 a.m. |
NIST notes that these rules come from the Energy Policy Act of 2005 and took effect in 2007, and that Congress kept the right to change them back. Daylight saving time and time zones are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, not by NIST.
To see the official time right now, visit time.gov, run by NIST and the U.S. Naval Observatory.