Daylight Saving Time (DST) 2025
This guide explains Daylight Saving Time (DST) in 2025 for major regions, including when it starts and ends, how offsets change, practical examples, notable exceptions, and tips for developers.
What is DST and why is it used?
Daylight Saving Time shifts local clocks forward by one hour during part of the year to extend evening daylight. The idea is to better align daily activities with daylight hours. Not every country observes DST, and several regions have stopped using it entirely.
2025 Start and End Dates by Region
Below are typical 2025 DST transitions for major regions. Always verify local rules, as laws can change.
| Region / Zone | Standard Offset | DST Offset | DST Start (2025) | DST End (2025) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States & Canada (most) | UTC−5 (ET), −6 (CT), −7 (MT), −8 (PT) | UTC−4, −5, −6, −7 | Sun Mar 9, 2025, 2:00 AM local → 3:00 AM | Sun Nov 2, 2025, 2:00 AM local → 1:00 AM | Arizona (most) & Hawaii: no DST; Yukon: permanent DST; SK largely no DST |
| European Union (e.g., CET/CSTE) | UTC+1 (CET) | UTC+2 (CEST) | Sun Mar 30, 2025, 01:00 UTC (02:00 → 03:00 local) | Sun Oct 26, 2025, 01:00 UTC (03:00 → 02:00 local) | All EU members align on these dates |
| United Kingdom (UK) | UTC+0 (GMT) | UTC+1 (BST) | Sun Mar 30, 2025, 01:00 UTC (01:00 → 02:00 local) | Sun Oct 26, 2025, 01:00 UTC (02:00 → 01:00 local) | Aligned with EU times but UK naming (GMT/BST) |
| Mexico (US border municipalities) | Follows adjacent US time zones | Follows adjacent US time zones | Sun Mar 9, 2025 (US-aligned) | Sun Nov 2, 2025 (US-aligned) | Most of Mexico: no DST since 2023 |
| Australia (NSW, VIC, ACT, TAS) | UTC+10 | UTC+11 | Started Sun Oct 6, 2024; ends Sun Apr 6, 2025, 3:00 → 2:00 | Next start Sun Oct 5, 2025, 2:00 → 3:00 | QLD/NT/WA: no DST |
| Australia (South Australia) | UTC+9:30 | UTC+10:30 | Ends Sun Apr 6, 2025; next start Sun Oct 5, 2025 | As above | 30-min base offset |
| Australia (Lord Howe Island) | UTC+10:30 | UTC+11:00 | Ends Sun Apr 6, 2025 | Starts Sun Oct 5, 2025 | DST shift is 30 minutes (unique) |
| New Zealand (NZ) | UTC+12 | UTC+13 | Ends Sun Apr 6, 2025, 3:00 → 2:00 | Starts Sun Sep 28, 2025, 2:00 → 3:00 | Chatham Islands offset differs (+12:45/+13:45) |
| Chile | UTC−4 | UTC−3 | Typically first Sat/Sun in Sep (next: Sep 2025) | First Sat/Sun in Apr (Sun Apr 6, 2025 around 00:00 local) | Magallanes region uses UTC−3 year‑round |
| Paraguay | UTC−4 | UTC−3 | Ends Sun Mar 30, 2025 | Starts Sun Oct 5, 2025 | Most other South America: no DST |
| Israel | UTC+2 | UTC+3 | Fri Mar 28, 2025, 2:00 → 3:00 | Sun Oct 26, 2025, 2:00 → 1:00 | Starts Friday before last Sunday in March |
| Egypt | UTC+2 | UTC+3 | Last Fri in Apr 2025 (Apr 25) | Last Thu in Oct 2025 (Oct 30) | Reintroduced DST in 2023 |
| Morocco (special) | UTC+1 (permanent) | — | Pauses to UTC+0 during Ramadan | Resumes UTC+1 after Ramadan | Temporary offset change for Ramadan 2025 |
| Brazil, Russia, China, India, Japan | Varies (no DST) | — | — | — | No DST observed |
Examples during DST (2025)
- New York (EDT, UTC−4) vs London (BST, UTC+1) on Jul 15, 2025: London is 5 hours ahead. 10:00 in New York = 15:00 in London.
- San Francisco (PDT, UTC−7) vs Sydney (AEST, UTC+10) on Jul 15, 2025: Sydney is 17 hours ahead. 18:00 in SF = 11:00 next day in Sydney.
- Transition hour (US end): On Nov 2, 2025 at 1:30 AM local time in New York, the time occurs twice due to fallback (ambiguous time). Scheduling should use absolute instants (UTC) to avoid confusion.
- Pre-season mismatch: Between late Mar and late Mar/early Apr, the US and EU are out of sync by one week (US starts Mar 9; EU/UK start Mar 30), changing trans-Atlantic time differences temporarily.
Special Cases and Exceptions
- US: Arizona (except parts of the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii do not observe DST.
- Canada: Saskatchewan largely stays on CST year‑round; Yukon uses permanent DST.
- Mexico: Most of the country does not observe DST since 2023; border municipalities align with US.
- Australia: Queensland, Northern Territory, and Western Australia do not observe DST.
- Australia Lord Howe Island: DST shift is 30 minutes (unique).
- New Zealand: Chatham Islands have 45‑minute base offset; DST adds one hour (to +13:45).
- Morocco: UTC+1 year‑round with a pause to UTC+0 during Ramadan.
- Turkey and Russia: effectively fixed offsets year‑round (no DST).
Tips for Developers (2025)
- Use IANA time zone IDs (e.g., "America/New_York", "Europe/London") — not numeric offsets.
- Store timestamps in UTC; convert to local time only for display.
- Handle nonexistent and ambiguous local times around transitions (gaps/overlaps).
- Libraries: moment-timezone, Luxon, date-fns-tz, Day.js with timezone, or the upcoming Temporal API.
- Keep tz data current (e.g., moment-timezone data updates, ICU updates in runtimes).
- Test boundary cases: schedule near transitions and verify with IANA rules.
- Prefer recurring rules (RRule) anchored to UTC or calendar dates in a canonical zone.
FAQ (2025)
Do all places observe DST?
No. Many countries don’t use DST, and some have abolished it. Even within countries, certain states or regions may opt out.
When do clocks go forward/back?
Typically forward in spring and back in autumn. Exact dates vary by region — see the table above for 2025.
Does DST change UTC offsets permanently?
No. DST is a temporary seasonal adjustment. Permanent changes require law and are rare.
Why does my meeting time shift across borders?
Regions switch on different dates, creating temporary differences. Always schedule using UTC or a single reference zone.
References / Sources
- IANA Time Zone Database (tzdb)
- Government and standards sites (e.g., NIST, EU, UK GOV)
- Time zone references such as timeanddate.com