Pacific Time: PST and PDT
Pacific Standard Time (PST) is UTC−8, 3 hours behind Eastern Time. From 2 a.m. on the second Sunday in March to 2 a.m. on the first Sunday in November the zone uses Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), UTC−7. In 2026 it returns to PST on Sunday, November 1. Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Las Vegas are on Pacific Time.
By Asier Fernández ·
Right now in Los Angeles: --:--:--
PST or PDT? The change dates
| Year | Daylight time starts (2 a.m.) | Standard time returns (2 a.m.) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, March 8 | Sunday, November 1 |
| 2027 | Sunday, March 14 | Sunday, November 7 |
| 2028 | Sunday, March 12 | Sunday, November 5 |
The dates are set by federal law (15 U.S.C. 260a). Strictly, PST is the winter time and PDT the summer time; “PT” covers both. Most people say “PST” all year.
Convert Pacific Time
Which states use Pacific Time?
California, Washington and Nevada, most of Oregon and the northern part of Idaho. The Pacific zone is everything in the continental US west of the Mountain–Pacific line, except Alaska (49 CFR 71.10). That line follows the Salmon River across Idaho, so Idaho north of the river (Coeur d'Alene, Lewiston) is on Pacific Time and Boise is on Mountain Time. In Oregon, most of Malheur County is on Mountain Time, and in Nevada the city of West Wendover is too (49 CFR 71.9).
Pacific Time compared with other zones
| When it is noon Pacific | Mountain | Arizona | Central | Eastern | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter (January 15, 2027) | 1:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. |
| Summer (July 15, 2027) | 1:00 p.m. | 12:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. |
Eastern, Central and Mountain Time change their clocks on the same night as Pacific Time, so those gaps never move. Arizona does not change, so it matches Pacific Time in summer and is an hour ahead in winter. For the East Coast in detail, see PST to EST.
Pacific Time, hour by hour (winter)
| Pacific Time | Mountain Time | Central Time | Eastern Time | UTC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 a.m. | 1:00 a.m. | 2:00 a.m. | 3:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. |
| 1:00 a.m. | 2:00 a.m. | 3:00 a.m. | 4:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. |
| 2:00 a.m. | 3:00 a.m. | 4:00 a.m. | 5:00 a.m. | 10:00 a.m. |
| 3:00 a.m. | 4:00 a.m. | 5:00 a.m. | 6:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. |
| 4:00 a.m. | 5:00 a.m. | 6:00 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. |
| 5:00 a.m. | 6:00 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. | 1:00 p.m. |
| 6:00 a.m. | 7:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | 2:00 p.m. |
| 7:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | 10:00 a.m. | 3:00 p.m. |
| 8:00 a.m. | 9:00 a.m. | 10:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. | 4:00 p.m. |
| 9:00 a.m. | 10:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. |
| 10:00 a.m. | 11:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. |
| 11:00 a.m. | 12:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. |
| 12:00 p.m. | 1:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. |
| 1:00 p.m. | 2:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. |
| 2:00 p.m. | 3:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. |
| 3:00 p.m. | 4:00 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. | 11:00 p.m. |
| 4:00 p.m. | 5:00 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. | 12:00 a.m. (+1 day) |
| 5:00 p.m. | 6:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 1:00 a.m. (+1 day) |
| 6:00 p.m. | 7:00 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 2:00 a.m. (+1 day) |
| 7:00 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 3:00 a.m. (+1 day) |
| 8:00 p.m. | 9:00 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 11:00 p.m. | 4:00 a.m. (+1 day) |
| 9:00 p.m. | 10:00 p.m. | 11:00 p.m. | 12:00 a.m. (+1 day) | 5:00 a.m. (+1 day) |
| 10:00 p.m. | 11:00 p.m. | 12:00 a.m. (+1 day) | 1:00 a.m. (+1 day) | 6:00 a.m. (+1 day) |
| 11:00 p.m. | 12:00 a.m. (+1 day) | 1:00 a.m. (+1 day) | 2:00 a.m. (+1 day) | 7:00 a.m. (+1 day) |
Standard time, for example January 15, 2027. In summer the US columns stay the same and the UTC column moves one hour earlier.
PST and UTC
Federal law defines the Pacific zone as Coordinated Universal Time “retarded by 8 hours”, the fifth of nine US zones (15 U.S.C. 261). Daylight time moves it to UTC−7. Servers, aviation and many dispatch logs use UTC: 7:00 p.m. PST is 03:00 UTC the next day. See UTC time.
Night shifts on the change dates
On Sunday, November 1, 2026 the hour from 1:00 to 2:00 a.m. happens twice in the Pacific zone, so a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. night shift lasts 13 hours. On March 14, 2027 the same shift lasts 11. The night shift clock change calculator works out the hours and pay for your shift.
More guides
Figures are worked out from each cycle; rules checked against official sources on . How we calculate
Questions
What is PST time in the USA?
Pacific Standard Time, UTC−8, used on the West Coast in winter. From the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November the same zone uses PDT, UTC−7.
Is PST 3 hours behind EST?
Yes. Pacific Time is 3 hours behind Eastern Time all year, because both zones change their clocks on the same night.
What is the difference between PST and PDT?
PST is standard time (UTC−8), used in winter. PDT is daylight time (UTC−7), one hour ahead, used from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
Which states have PST time?
California, Washington and Nevada, most of Oregon and northern Idaho. Most of Malheur County in Oregon and West Wendover in Nevada are on Mountain Time (49 CFR 71.9).
Is California on PST or PDT right now?
California uses PDT until 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026, then PST until March 14, 2027.