Current time in New York

How to interpret a city's local time

New York follows US Eastern Time: EST (UTC−5) in winter and EDT (UTC−4) during daylight saving. Under current US rules, clocks change on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November. That calendar differs from Switzerland's, where the autumn transition takes place earlier. The difference between the two regions is therefore not constant.

Civil time cannot always be calculated by adding a fixed number of hours to UTC. Individual authorities set standard time, possible daylight-saving rules and transition dates. The IANA time-zone database documents these decisions for representative regions. Web browsers use the data to convert a single UTC instant to the applicable local clock time.

Two cities may have matching clocks today yet follow different rules later in the year. That is why this page names the geographical IANA zone, not just today's UTC offset. The calendar date matters as well: on opposite sides of the International Date Line it can differ from the date observed in Switzerland.

Compare with Switzerland accurately

New York is usually six hours behind Geneva, but for short periods around clock changes it can be only five hours behind. Los Angeles follows the same US transition dates and is three hours behind New York. When arranging a transatlantic meeting, use the exact calendar date rather than assuming a fixed annual time difference.

Switzerland uses Central European Time (CET, UTC+1) in winter and Central European Summer Time (CEST, UTC+2) during its daylight-saving period. Its official time scale, UTC(CH), is realised and disseminated by METAS. The difference between Switzerland and New York may vary when one region changes clocks before another, or does not change them at all.

For international appointments, specify the full date, city and IANA time-zone identifier. During an autumn clock change, the same local hour can occur twice. Recording the underlying UTC instant removes that ambiguity for software and time-sensitive communications.

Daylight saving and local rules

Current US rules start daylight saving on the second Sunday of March and end it on the first Sunday of November. Because those dates differ from Europe's, the usual time gap can temporarily change during the transition weeks.

Frequently asked questions

What time is it in New York right now?

The clock at the top displays civil time in New York according to your browser's time-zone data for America/New_York. To check how your browser is calibrated against the time server, visit the Accuracy page.

Does New York change its clocks during the year?

Current US rules start daylight saving on the second Sunday of March and end it on the first Sunday of November. Because those dates differ from Europe's, the usual time gap can temporarily change during the transition weeks.

Why show America/New_York rather than a fixed UTC offset?

A numerical offset describes a specific moment; the zone identifier America/New_York describes rules that may produce another offset on a future date. Government decisions can change these rules, so time-zone data must be kept current.