Countdown to
Daylight Saving Time
The twice-a-year clock change — spring forward, fall back.
Clocks spring forward today.
132 days until Daylight Saving Time, on Sunday, March 14, 2027 (clocks spring forward).
Daylight Saving Time is Sunday, March 14, 2027 (clocks spring forward). Happens twice a year in the US: the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November.
Daylight Saving Time is the twice-a-year ritual of moving the clocks, forward an hour in spring to shift daylight into the evening, and back an hour in autumn to return it to the morning. In the United States the spring change costs an hour of sleep and the autumn change gives it back, each at 2 a.m. local time. This countdown targets whichever change comes next.
How we get this date. Under current U.S. law, the Energy Policy Act of 2005, in effect since 2007, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday of March (spring forward) and ends on the first Sunday of November (fall back). The page computes both of those dates and shows whichever is sooner. The upcoming-dates table below lists the next several changes in both directions.
A local-clock note. This is a United States rule, and the change happens at 2 a.m. local time in each time zone, so it rolls across the country rather than striking a single global instant. Other places switch on different dates entirely: the European Union changes on the last Sundays of March and October, and much of the world does not observe daylight saving at all. Even within the U.S., Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on standard time year-round.
The convention is old and often misattributed. It is jokingly credited to Benjamin Franklin, but the first serious modern proposal came from New Zealand entomologist George Hudson in 1895, and the U.S. only standardized its start and end dates with the Uniform Time Act of 1966. The mnemonic that survives all of it is simple: spring forward, fall back.
🕐 Fun facts about Daylight Saving Time
- Under current U.S. law, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 in effect since 2007, daylight saving begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November, changing at 2 a.m. local time.
- The mnemonic "spring forward, fall back" captures it — March loses an hour (a 23-hour day) and November gives it back (a 25-hour day).
- Hawaii and most of Arizona ignore daylight saving entirely and stay on standard time all year.
- The idea is often jokingly credited to Benjamin Franklin, but the first serious modern proposal came from New Zealand entomologist George Hudson in 1895; the U.S. only standardized the dates with the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
Upcoming Daylight Saving Time dates
| Date | Days away |
|---|---|
| · spring forward | 132 days |
| · fall back | 370 days |
| · spring forward | 496 days |
| · fall back | 734 days |
| · spring forward | 860 days |
Frequently asked
When does daylight saving time change next?
In the United States clocks spring forward one hour at 2 a.m. local time on the second Sunday of March and fall back one hour on the first Sunday of November. The countdown above always targets whichever of those comes next.
How is the date calculated?
Under current U.S. law, daylight saving begins on the second Sunday of March and ends on the first Sunday of November. The page computes both dates and shows whichever comes next.
Do the clocks go forward or back?
It depends which change is next: in March the clocks spring forward an hour; in November they fall back an hour. The countdown above names the next one.
Does everyone observe daylight saving time?
No. Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on standard time year-round, and many countries either switch on different dates or do not change their clocks at all.