EST to UTC
EST and UTC 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.
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is UTC+0, the world's reference time, used by aviation, computing and science. UTC never changes for daylight saving. For everyday purposes it is the same as GMT.
The difference across the year
UTC compared with ET:
- 4 hours ahead (EDT and UTC) from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November
- 5 hours ahead (EST and UTC) from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March
ET changes its clocks and UTC doesn't, so the gap changes during the year. The converter above uses the rules for the date you pick.
Common times
| ET | UTC 4 hours ahead | UTC 5 hours ahead |
|---|---|---|
| 00:00 12am | 04:00 4am | 05:00 5am |
| 06:00 6am | 10:00 10am | 11:00 11am |
| 08:00 8am | 12:00 12pm | 13:00 1pm |
| 09:00 9am | 13:00 1pm | 14:00 2pm |
| 12:00 12pm | 16:00 4pm | 17:00 5pm |
| 15:00 3pm | 19:00 7pm | 20:00 8pm |
| 17:00 5pm | 21:00 9pm | 22:00 10pm |
| 18:00 6pm | 22:00 10pm | 23:00 11pm |
| 21:00 9pm | 01:00 1am, next day | 02:00 2am, next day |
How to use the converter
Pick a time and date under From; the time in UTC 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
- Writing timestamps or cron schedules in UTC
- Announcing a release or maintenance window to a global audience
- Checking what a New York deadline is in UTC
Questions
What is the time difference between EST and UTC?
UTC is 4 hours ahead of ET from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, and 5 hours ahead from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March.
Do ET and UTC 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. UTC never changes: it is UTC+0 all year.
How do I convert EST to UTC?
Add 4 hours when it is EDT and UTC; add 5 hours when it is EST and UTC. 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.