When does daylight saving time end?

A direct-answer guide to when daylight saving time ends and where it does not apply.

Answer first

Daylight saving time end dates depend on the local jurisdiction; clocks do not change everywhere at once.

When a location ends daylight saving time, its displayed civil clock usually moves back by one hour. The exact date and whether the change happens at all depend on the applicable local rules.

This transition can make a local clock hour occur twice, so systems and schedules should use a named time zone or UTC when precision matters.

Worldwide end date

None

Typical clock change

Back by 1 hour

Potential ambiguity

A local hour can occur twice

What happens when DST ends

The local offset from UTC decreases when clocks move back. That changes the displayed local time without changing UTC itself.

A meeting, job, or transaction described only by a local clock time can be ambiguous during the repeated hour.

Avoiding repeated-hour mistakes

Store and exchange timestamps in UTC, then render them in the intended local time zone. When communicating a time near a clock change, include both the city or IANA zone and the UTC offset.

Keep logs and database timestamps in UTC.
Label event times with their city or IANA time zone.
Review schedules that run during the repeated hour.

Frequently asked questions

Why can a local hour happen twice when DST ends?

Clocks move back, so the same displayed hour is reached once before the change and once after it.

Do all places end daylight saving time?

No. Some locations never observe DST, and end dates differ among locations that do.