EST (Eastern Standard Time) is UTC−5 and is used in winter. EDT (Eastern Daylight Time) is UTC−4 and is used from March to November, when daylight saving time is in effect. They're the same time zone, Eastern Time, with the clocks one hour apart. If you don't want to think about which one applies, write ET, which is always correct.
Which is it right now?
From the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, the East Coast is on EDT. The rest of the year it's on EST.
| Year | EDT starts (2:00 AM → 3:00 AM) | EST returns (2:00 AM → 1:00 AM) |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday, March 8 | Sunday, November 1 |
| 2027 | Sunday, March 14 | Sunday, November 7 |
So in early October 2026, New York, Atlanta and Miami are on EDT (UTC−4), and they switch back to EST on November 1. Track it with days until DST ends and days until DST starts.
EST vs EDT at a glance
| EST | EDT | |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Eastern Standard Time | Eastern Daylight Time |
| Offset | UTC−5 | UTC−4 |
| In use | Early November to mid-March | Mid-March to early November |
| Noon in New York is… | 17:00 UTC | 16:00 UTC |
| Months per year (approx.) | About 4 | About 8 |
Note that EDT is in use for most of the year, about 34 weeks. "EST" is often written all year round out of habit, but technically it's only correct in winter.
Which should you write: EST, EDT or ET?
- ET (Eastern Time) is the safest choice for meetings, deadlines and broadcasts: it always means "whatever the clocks in New York say".
- EST or EDT is fine when you're sure of the season, and essential when you need a precise offset, for example in technical logs.
- Writing "EST" in July is a common mistake. Most people will understand, but strictly it means a time one hour off. In software, always store times in UTC or use a named zone like
America/New_York.
The other US time zones work the same way
| Zone | Standard (winter) | Daylight (summer) | Example cities |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern (ET) | EST, UTC−5 | EDT, UTC−4 | New York, Atlanta, Detroit |
| Central (CT) | CST, UTC−6 | CDT, UTC−5 | Chicago, Dallas, Houston |
| Mountain (MT) | MST, UTC−7 | MDT, UTC−6 | Denver, Salt Lake City |
| Pacific (PT) | PST, UTC−8 | PDT, UTC−7 | Los Angeles, Seattle |
| Alaska (AKT) | AKST, UTC−9 | AKDT, UTC−8 | Anchorage |
| Hawaii (HT) | HST, UTC−10 | No DST | Honolulu |
Because all of the zones that use daylight saving time switch on the same dates, the gaps between them stay constant: Eastern is always 3 hours ahead of Pacific. Arizona (outside the Navajo Nation) stays on MST all year, so in summer it shares the clock with Pacific time. Hawaii also doesn't change. Compare times with EST to PST.
Converting EST and EDT to other zones
- To UTC/GMT: add 5 hours in winter (EST) or 4 hours in summer (EDT). 3:00 PM EDT = 19:00 UTC. Try EST to UTC.
- To London: usually 5 hours ahead, but the UK and US change clocks on different dates, so for a few weeks in March and late October/early November the gap is only 4 hours.
- To India (IST, UTC+5:30): 10½ hours ahead of EST, 9½ hours ahead of EDT. See EST to IST.
For the background on why we change clocks at all, read daylight saving time explained, and for the reference point every zone is measured from, see what is UTC.
Scheduling across zones? Write the time with "ET" and a UTC equivalent, for example "2:00 PM ET (18:00 UTC)", and double-check it with the time zone converter.
Frequently asked questions
Is New York on EST or EDT?
EDT from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, and EST the rest of the year.
Is EST the same as ET?
Only in winter. ET means Eastern Time in general, which is EST in winter and EDT in summer.
How many hours behind UTC is EDT?
Four hours. EST is five hours behind UTC.
Is Florida on EST?
Most of Florida uses Eastern Time (EST in winter, EDT in summer). The western Panhandle, including Pensacola, uses Central Time.