Daylight savings 2026: when it ended and when the clocks change next

The short answer: daylight savings 2026 ended on Sunday, November 1, 2026, when clocks fell back one hour at 2:00 local time. It began on Sunday, March 8.

• 2027 starts: Sunday, March 14 (spring forward)
• 2027 ends: Sunday, November 7 (fall back)
• Some places don't change their clocks
• A short checklist to make the switch easy on your household
• Next step: Plan it with the Annual Budget Spreadsheet ($6.99).

Daylight savings 2026 ended on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2:00 a.m. local time. That is when clocks fell back one hour, so 2:00 a.m. became 1:00 a.m. and most of the country got an extra hour of sleep. Standard time now runs until the next spring-forward change on Sunday, March 14, 2027. Daylight saving time 2026 began on Sunday, March 8, when clocks sprang forward. Below you will find the exact dates for 2026 and 2027, which places do not change their clocks, and a short checklist to make the switch easy on your household.

Most phones, computers and smart speakers update on their own, but the oven, the microwave, the car and the wall clock in the hallway usually do not. A family calendar helps everyone adjust, and if you are the person who keeps the household schedule running, our I Run the Family Calendar tee was made for you. Planning ahead for the year? The Annual Budget Spreadsheet puts every month in one place.

Daylight saving time dates for 2026 and 2027

The rule behind these dates is simple. Under current federal law, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. The National Institute of Standards and Technology explains that the change happens at 2:00 a.m. local time in each time zone, so the switch rolls across the country one hour at a time rather than all at once.

What happens when daylight savings ends

When daylight saving time ends in November, the clock reads 1:59 a.m. and then goes back to 1:00 a.m. That hour happens twice, which is why some overnight shift workers end up working a slightly longer shift. For everyone else, the practical change is that mornings get lighter a little sooner and evenings get dark noticeably earlier. In much of the country the sun will set before 5:00 p.m. by late November.

That earlier darkness is worth planning around. Kids walking home from school or practice may now be out after sunset, and evening errands and dog walks move into the dark. It is a good week to check porch lights, replace burned-out bulbs and make sure everyone has a reflective jacket or a small flashlight.

Which states do not change their clocks

Not every place in the United States observes daylight saving time. Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on standard time all year, so their clocks never spring forward or fall back. The Navajo Nation, which extends into Arizona, does observe it. U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands also stay on standard time.

The U.S. Department of Transportation oversees time zones and daylight saving time, because consistent time matters for railroads, airlines and other travel. That is why the rules are set at the federal level. A state can choose to stay on standard time all year, but under current law it cannot choose to stay on daylight time all year without action from Congress.

Why we have daylight saving time

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 and active. According to Britannica, daylight saving time was widely adopted during World War I to save fuel, and it has gone through many changes since then. The Uniform Time Act of 1966 created a national framework, and the Energy Policy Act of 2005 set the current March-to-November schedule, which took effect in 2007.

People have debated the twice-yearly clock change for years. Proposals to make daylight time permanent have been introduced in Congress more than once, but as of this writing the spring-forward and fall-back schedule remains the law, so it is still worth marking both dates on your calendar.

Checklist for the November change (and next March)

1. If a manual clock, oven or car dashboard still shows the old time, reset it now. For the next change, do it before bed on Saturday, March 13, 2027.
2. Check the oven, microwave, car dashboard, thermostat and any wall clocks.
3. Move bedtime for young kids 10 to 15 minutes later for a few nights to ease them into the new schedule.
4. Test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, since the time change is an easy reminder.
5. Plan for earlier sunsets on the drive home and on evening walks.
6. Update shared calendars if you have calls or meetings with people in Arizona, Hawaii or other countries.

Daylight savings and your household routine

The extra hour in November is a gift, but it can throw off kids, pets and anyone who takes medication on a strict schedule. Many families find it helpful to treat the weekend as a small reset. Use the extra hour to plan the week ahead, prep a few meals and look at the calendar for the busy holiday season that starts a few weeks later. With Thanksgiving on November 26, 2026, and the December holidays right behind it, the end of daylight saving time is a natural point to start thinking about holiday plans and budgets. If you are counting down, our Thanksgiving countdown and Christmas countdown keep the dates in view, and the holiday countdown planner helps you spread out the work.

Pets notice the change too. Dogs and cats that expect breakfast at 6:00 a.m. will not know the clock moved, so shifting their feeding time by a few minutes a day over the week can make mornings calmer. The same approach works for toddlers and babies whose naps are tied to a set routine.

The bottom line

Daylight savings 2026 ended at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, when clocks fell back one hour. The next change is Sunday, March 14, 2027, when clocks spring forward again. Set your manual clocks Saturday night, check your smoke alarms, and use the extra hour to get a head start on the busy weeks ahead.