When Do the Clocks Go Back? Sunday 25 October 2026
The clocks go back one hour in the UK at 2am on Sunday, 25 October 2026, when 2am becomes 1am; most of Europe changes at the same moment, at 3am local time. In most of the US, and in the parts of Canada that still change their clocks, they go back a week later, at 2am on Sunday, 1 November 2026. Both changes happen in the early hours of Sunday, so you get an extra hour in bed.
- UK and Ireland: at 2am on Sunday, 25 October, clocks go back to 1am (the end of British Summer Time).
- Most of Europe: at 3am on Sunday, 25 October, clocks go back to 2am.
- Most of the US, and Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada and Nunavut: at 2am on Sunday, 1 November, clocks go back to 1am.
The dates at a glance
| Where | When | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| UK, Ireland, Portugal | Sunday 25 October | 2am becomes 1am |
| France, Germany, Spain, Italy and most of Europe | Sunday 25 October | 3am becomes 2am |
| Finland, Greece and eastern Europe | Sunday 25 October | 4am becomes 3am |
| Most of the US, and Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic Canada and Nunavut | Sunday 1 November | 2am becomes 1am, local time |
The UK date comes from the government's official list. Every EU country changes at 1am GMT on the last Sunday of October, under EU rules. The US date is confirmed by NIST, the agency that keeps official US time. Hawaii and most of Arizona don't change their clocks.
Do you gain or lose an hour?
You gain one. The hour between 1am and 2am happens twice, so the night is an hour longer and you get an extra hour in bed. The old rule still works: spring forward, fall back.
Phones, computers and smartwatches change by themselves. You'll need to change wall clocks, ovens, older car clocks and some watches by hand. The easy way is to do it before you go to bed on Saturday night.
What changes after the clocks go back
The UK leaves British Summer Time and returns to Greenwich Mean Time. Mornings get lighter and evenings get darker. The sun sets about an hour earlier by the clock than it did the day before, so many people travel home from work in the dark from Monday.
Much of Canada has stopped changing its clocks
From this autumn, a large part of Canada no longer goes back. Four governments have ended the seasonal change, so on 1 November 2026 the clocks stay where they are in:
- British Columbia, which moved its clocks forward for the last time on 8 March 2026, the province says. Towns near the Alberta border, like Cranbrook and Fernie, stay on Alberta's time, and the town of Golden makes one last change on 1 November.
- Alberta, which has adopted permanent Alberta Time.
- Manitoba, which announced on 17 September that it will stay on daylight saving time.
- The Northwest Territories, which has ended the seasonal change and now keeps one time all year.
Saskatchewan and Yukon already kept the same time all year. That leaves Ontario, Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nunavut as the parts of Canada that still go back on 1 November.
Going the other way: New Zealand
New Zealand's clocks have already gone forward. Its daylight saving began at 2am on 27 September 2026 and ends at 3am on 4 April 2027, according to the Department of Internal Affairs.
When do the clocks go forward again?
- UK and Europe: Sunday, 28 March 2027.
- US, and the parts of Canada that still change: Sunday, 14 March 2027, the second Sunday of March.
After that, the UK clocks go back again on 31 October 2027.
Quick answers
Do the clocks go back on Saturday night or Sunday night?
Saturday night. The change happens in the early hours of Sunday, 25 October, so clocks are already on the new time when you wake up on Sunday.
Do the clocks go back in the US on the same day?
No. Most of the US changes a week later, at 2am on Sunday, 1 November 2026. (In the US this is called the end of daylight saving time.) So do Ontario, Quebec, the Atlantic provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Nunavut. For that week, the time gap between London and New York is four hours, not five.
Why do the clocks change?
Moving clocks forward in spring shifts an hour of daylight from the morning to the evening for the summer. Going back in autumn returns the country to its standard time, which in the UK is GMT.
