EST to IST
EST and IST explained
Eastern Time uses EST (UTC−5) as standard time and EDT (UTC−4) during daylight saving time, from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November; the clocks change at 2am local time. It covers the eastern US and Canada, including New York, Washington DC, Miami, Atlanta and Toronto. People often say "EST" all year, but EST is strictly the winter name: during daylight saving time the eastern US is on EDT.
India Standard Time (IST) is UTC+5:30 all year: the whole of India has no daylight saving time. "IST" can also mean Irish Standard Time or Israel Standard Time; here it means India Standard Time.
The difference across the year
IST compared with ET:
- 9 hours 30 minutes ahead (EDT and IST) from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November
- 10 hours 30 minutes ahead (EST and IST) from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March
ET changes its clocks and IST doesn't, so the gap changes during the year. The converter above uses the rules for the date you pick.
Common times
| ET | IST 9 hours 30 minutes ahead | IST 10 hours 30 minutes ahead |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 12am | 09:30 9:30am | 10:30 10:30am |
| 06:00 6am | 15:30 3:30pm | 16:30 4:30pm |
| 08:00 8am | 17:30 5:30pm | 18:30 6:30pm |
| 09:00 9am | 18:30 6:30pm | 19:30 7:30pm |
| 12:00 12pm | 21:30 9:30pm | 22:30 10:30pm |
| 15:00 3pm | 00:30 12:30am, next day | 01:30 1:30am, next day |
| 17:00 5pm | 02:30 2:30am, next day | 03:30 3:30am, next day |
| 18:00 6pm | 03:30 3:30am, next day | 04:30 4:30am, next day |
| 21:00 9pm | 06:30 6:30am, next day | 07:30 7:30am, next day |
How to use the converter
Pick a time and date under From; the time in IST appears under To, with your own local time underneath. The date matters around clock changes, so set it for the day you mean. ⇄ swaps the two zones, Now goes back to the current time, and either zone can be changed to any city. The planner below lines up the whole day in both places and in yours.
Handy for
- Scheduling with offshore and outsourced teams in India
- Finding the early-morning US window that is evening in India
- Converting a US deadline to Indian time
Questions
What is the time difference between EST and IST?
IST is 9 hours 30 minutes ahead of ET from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, and 10 hours 30 minutes ahead from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March.
Do ET and IST change for daylight saving?
Eastern Time switches from EST (UTC−5) to EDT (UTC−4) on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November. India Standard Time (IST) does not use daylight saving: it is UTC+5:30 all year.
How do I convert EST to IST?
Add 9 hours 30 minutes when it is EDT and IST; add 10 hours 30 minutes when it is EST and IST. Or use the converter above: it applies the rules for the exact date you pick.
More time zone pages
Or open the full Time Zones meeting planner and world clock.