Time Zone Converter

Time zone converter: what it does and the quick answer

This time zone converter takes a clock time in one place and shows the equivalent time somewhere else, accounting for the time difference and daylight saving. Pick a source zone and a target zone, enter a time and date, and you get the matching local time — so a 9:00 a.m. meeting in New York shows as 2:00 p.m. in London. The method is simple arithmetic on offsets from UTC: target time = source time + (target UTC offset − source UTC offset). Use the tool above for an exact answer with no signup and nothing to install.

This is the time zone difference converter you want for scheduling calls, catching live broadcasts, or booking flights across regions. Searches like "time and zone converter," "time zone times converter," "date time zone converter" and "pst to est time zone converter" all describe this job: converting a time between two zones, optionally on a specific date so daylight saving is handled correctly. If instead you only need to change a duration between units — minutes to hours, days to weeks — that is a different tool; use the time converter. Below you will find how offsets work, a worked example, a reference table of common zones, and the mistakes that catch people out.

How to use the time zone converter

1. Choose the source zone and time. Enter the time you already know — for example 9:00 a.m. in your own city.
2. Choose the target zone you want to convert to, and, for a time zone converter with dates, set the date so daylight saving applies correctly.
3. Read the converted time. The result is the matching local clock time in the target zone, with any date change (next or previous day) noted.

The tool is free, unlimited, and works the same on mobile and desktop. For converting how long something lasts rather than what time it is, use the time converter instead.

The time zone formula and a worked example

Every zone is defined by its offset from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). To convert between two zones:

target local time = source local time + (target offset − source offset)

Worked example: convert 9:00 a.m. in New York (EST, UTC−5) to London (GMT, UTC+0). The difference is 0 − (−5) = +5 hours, so 9:00 a.m. + 5 = 2:00 p.m. in London. Now reverse it: 3:00 p.m. in London to New York is −5 − 0 = −5 hours, giving 10:00 a.m. If a conversion pushes past midnight, the date rolls forward or back a day — which is why a date-aware time zone converter matters. The table below lists common zones and their standard offsets.

These are standard-time offsets. During daylight saving, many zones shift an hour, which is exactly why entering a date helps — the offset on a July date can differ from the same zone's offset in January.

Common zone conversions and the USA time zone map

• PST to EST — Eastern is 3 hours ahead of Pacific. 1:00 p.m. in Los Angeles is 4:00 p.m. in New York.
• EST to GMT — London is 5 hours ahead of New York in standard time. A 9:00 a.m. New York call is 2:00 p.m. in London.
• The four main US zones — the USA time zone map runs Pacific (UTC−8), Mountain (UTC−7), Central (UTC−6) and Eastern (UTC−5), so coast to coast is a 3-hour spread.
• IST to EST — India is on a half-hour offset (UTC+5:30), so converting to or from US zones lands on the half hour, a frequent source of confusion.

The half-hour and even 45-minute offsets some regions use (India at +5:30, Nepal at +5:45) are real and trip people up. A time zone and date converter handles them automatically so you do not have to remember the odd ones.

Why daylight saving makes this tricky

Most time-zone mistakes come down to daylight saving time (DST). Many countries move their clocks forward an hour in spring and back in autumn, but they do it on different dates — and some places do not observe it at all. That means the gap between two cities is not a fixed number year-round. New York and London are normally 5 hours apart, but for a few weeks each spring and autumn, when one has switched and the other has not, the gap is 4 or 6 hours instead.

This is the single best reason to use a date time zone converter rather than memorising offsets. By entering the actual date of your meeting, the converter applies whatever DST rule is in force for each zone on that day. For recurring international calls, re-check the conversion around the spring and autumn changeovers, because the time that worked last month may slip by an hour.

UTC, GMT and how to read a zone offset

Two abbreviations anchor every conversion: UTC and GMT. UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the global reference clock, and every other zone is described as a number of hours ahead of or behind it. A positive offset like UTC+9 means the zone is ahead of UTC — Tokyo's clock reads later than London's — while a negative offset like UTC−8 means it is behind, so Los Angeles reads earlier. GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) sits at UTC+0 and is effectively the same as UTC for everyday purposes, which is why London in winter and UTC show the same time.

Reading an offset correctly is the whole game. If you know your own offset and the target's, the difference between them is the number of hours to add or subtract. London (UTC+0) to Sydney (UTC+10) is a +10 difference, so 8 a.m. in London is 6 p.m. in Sydney. The bigger the spread, the more likely the result lands on a different calendar day, which is why long east-west conversions so often roll over midnight.

A quick sanity check keeps you honest: zones to the east of you are always later in the day, and zones to the west are always earlier. If your conversion makes a city to your east show an earlier time, you have added when you should have subtracted. Pairing that mental check with the date-aware converter above catches almost every offset slip before it becomes a missed call.

Common mistakes when converting time zones

• Forgetting daylight saving. Offsets shift seasonally. Always convert for the specific date, not a remembered year-round difference.
• Ignoring the date change. Converting late-evening times across many hours can land on the next or previous day. Check the date, not just the clock.
• Assuming whole-hour offsets. India (+5:30) and a few other regions use half-hour or 45-minute offsets. Do not round them to the nearest hour.
• Confusing a time zone converter with a duration tool. This tool changes clock time between regions; converting minutes to hours is a different job — use the time converter.

Tips and related converters

Practical tips: when scheduling a recurring international call, anchor it to one zone's local time and re-verify around DST changeovers. Share meeting times with the zone named explicitly ("3 p.m. London time"), not just the number, to avoid ambiguity. And for invites, pasting a UTC time alongside the local one lets everyone convert reliably with this time zone converter.

For converting durations between units rather than clock times across regions, use the time converter. For other measurements, try the power converter, the weight converter and the temperature converter. You will find every tool on the unit converters hub.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert a time between time zones? Add the difference between the two zones' UTC offsets to your start time. For example, New York (UTC−5) to London (UTC+0) is +5 hours, so 9 a.m. becomes 2 p.m. The converter above does this automatically.

What is the PST to EST time difference? Eastern time is 3 hours ahead of Pacific time, so 1:00 p.m. PST is 4:00 p.m. EST. This holds in both standard and daylight saving because both zones shift together.

Why do I need to enter a date? Daylight saving changes a zone's offset on certain dates, and countries switch on different days. Entering the date lets the time zone converter apply the correct offset for that exact day.

How many time zones are in the USA? The contiguous USA time zone map has four main zones — Pacific, Mountain, Central and Eastern — spanning 3 hours coast to coast. Alaska and Hawaii add two more.

How do I handle India's half-hour offset? India Standard Time is UTC+5:30, so conversions to or from it land on the half hour. The converter handles this automatically rather than rounding to a whole hour.

What is the difference between this and a time converter? A time zone converter changes a clock time between regions; a time converter changes a duration between units like minutes and hours. For durations, use the time converter.

Does the converter account for the date changing overnight? Yes. When a conversion crosses midnight, it shows whether the result falls on the next or previous day, which matters for late-night or early-morning calls.

Is this time zone converter free? Yes. It runs in your browser with no signup, no installation and no limits, and works the same on phone and desktop.