Converter
Runs locallyPacific Time
Eastern Time
Common conversions
The table below is generated for the date you select in the converter, so it reflects the daylight saving state in force on that day. Rows between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM in the source zone are shaded.
| Pacific Time | Eastern Time | Note |
|---|
The two zones
Pacific Time and Eastern Time are the two extremes of the contiguous United States. Both follow the same daylight saving schedule, which is why the arithmetic between them is stable for almost the entire year — and why the three-hour rule is worth understanding rather than memorising.
Pacific Time (PT)
Covers California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada and part of Idaho. The IANA identifier is America/Los_Angeles. Standard time is PST, UTC−8; daylight time is PDT, UTC−7. It is the zone used by San Francisco, Seattle, Los Angeles and Vancouver.
Eastern Time (ET)
Covers the entire eastern seaboard plus Ohio, Michigan and most of the south-east. The IANA identifier is America/New_York. Standard time is EST, UTC−5; daylight time is EDT, UTC−4. It is the zone used by New York, Boston, Washington DC, Atlanta and Miami.
| Zone | Standard | Daylight | IANA identifier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific | PST · UTC−8 | PDT · UTC−7 | America/Los_Angeles |
| Eastern | EST · UTC−5 | EDT · UTC−4 | America/New_York |
Daylight saving time
Both zones change on the same two dates each year, which is what keeps the gap at three hours. The converter reads the actual rules from the browser's IANA database, so it is correct for historical dates as well as future ones.
| Transition | Date | Clocks | Offset change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring forward | 8 March 2026 | 2:00 AM → 3:00 AM local | PST → PDT, EST → EDT |
| Fall back | 1 November 2026 | 2:00 AM → 1:00 AM local | PDT → PST, EDT → EST |
Why the gap is usually three hours
Standard offsets are UTC−8 and UTC−5, which differ by three hours. Daylight offsets are UTC−7 and UTC−4, which also differ by three hours. Because both zones switch on the same date, the difference stays at three hours through the change — for the whole year, apart from the three-hour window described above.
That is why the shortcut works: add three hours to any Pacific clock and you have the Eastern equivalent. The converter does the same thing, but it also handles the date rollover, so 11 PM Pacific correctly becomes 2 AM Eastern on the following day.
What changes the gap
- A zone that does not observe daylight saving. Arizona stays on MST all year, so the gap between Phoenix and Los Angeles changes by an hour in summer. Pacific and Eastern are not affected because both observe daylight saving.
- A different country's DST schedule. Europe switches on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October, which is two to three weeks out of step with the US. During that window, London and New York are four hours apart instead of five.
- Historical dates. US DST dates have changed several times, most recently in 2007. The IANA database the browser uses accounts for this, which is why a 1995 date converts differently from a 2026 date.
Meeting planning across the two coasts
The overlap between a 9-to-5 Pacific day and a 9-to-5 Eastern day is five hours: 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM Pacific, which is noon to 5:00 PM Eastern. Outside that window, somebody is working outside normal hours.
Rules of thumb
- Morning Pacific is the safe window. A 9 AM Pacific call is noon Eastern, which is comfortable for both sides. A 7 AM Pacific call is 10 AM Eastern, which is early but workable.
- Late afternoon Pacific is hostile to the east coast. 4 PM Pacific is 7 PM Eastern — after hours for most teams.
- Early morning Eastern is hostile to the west coast. 9 AM Eastern is 6 AM Pacific, which is before most people start.
- Put the meeting in the overlap. 9 AM–2 PM Pacific, 12 PM–5 PM Eastern. If it has to fall outside, rotate the inconvenience between the two offices rather than always favouring one.
Converting by hand
If you only need an approximate answer and you know both zones are on the same daylight saving state, add three hours. If you are unsure which state applies, check the month:
- November to March — standard time. PST and EST. Add three hours.
- March to November — daylight time. PDT and EDT. Add three hours.
- On the transition dates — use the converter. The gap is four or two hours for a few hours around the change.
For anything involving a date boundary, a flight, a deadline or a legal timestamp, use the converter rather than mental arithmetic. The converter resolves the exact offset from the IANA database and shows the date rollover explicitly.
Frequently asked questions
What time is 10 AM PST in EST?
10:00 AM Pacific Standard Time is 1:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. During daylight saving the names change — 10:00 AM PDT is also 1:00 PM EDT — because both zones shift by one hour on the same date. The three-hour gap holds for all of the year except the three-hour window on each transition day, when it briefly becomes four or two hours.
How do I convert Pacific Time to Eastern Time?
Add three hours to the Pacific clock. 9 AM Pacific is noon Eastern, noon Pacific is 3 PM Eastern, and 5 PM Pacific is 8 PM Eastern. This works because both zones observe daylight saving on the same dates in the United States, so they move together. The converter above does this automatically, including the date rollover when adding hours crosses midnight.
Does the converter handle daylight saving time?
Yes. It uses the IANA time zone identifiers America/Los_Angeles and America/New_York rather than fixed offsets, so the browser resolves PST or PDT and EST or EDT for the exact instant you select. That means the output is correct in January and in July without you changing any setting.
What is the difference between PST and PDT?
PST is Pacific Standard Time, UTC−8, used from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March. PDT is Pacific Daylight Time, UTC−7, used for the rest of the year. The clock moves forward one hour in March and back one hour in November. Eastern Time follows the same pattern as EST (UTC−5) and EDT (UTC−4).
Why is Eastern Time three hours ahead of Pacific Time?
Because the continental United States is divided into four main zones that are each one hour apart, and Pacific and Eastern are the two extremes. Their standard offsets are UTC−8 and UTC−5, a gap of three hours, and their daylight offsets are UTC−7 and UTC−4, also a gap of three hours. Both zones change on the same dates, so the gap stays at three hours almost all year.
Is the gap ever not three hours?
Yes, for three hours on each transition day. On the second Sunday in March, Eastern moves to EDT at 07:00 UTC while Pacific does not move to PDT until 10:00 UTC, so between those times the gap is four hours. On the first Sunday in November the reverse happens: Eastern falls back at 06:00 UTC and Pacific at 09:00 UTC, giving a two-hour gap in between. Outside those windows the gap is always three hours.
What are the UTC offsets for Pacific and Eastern Time?
Pacific Standard Time is UTC−8 and Pacific Daylight Time is UTC−7. Eastern Standard Time is UTC−5 and Eastern Daylight Time is UTC−4. The converter shows the live offset for whichever instant you select, so you do not have to remember which one is in force.
Can I use this for scheduling meetings across the US?
Yes, and the overlap table on this page is built for it. The common working window is 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM Pacific, which is noon to 5:00 PM Eastern. Anything earlier than 9:00 AM Pacific is before 9:00 AM Eastern, and anything later than 2:00 PM Pacific runs past 5:00 PM Eastern. The converter handles the arithmetic; the judgement about who should get up early is yours.
Does the converter work offline?
Yes. The page makes no network requests and uses only the browser's built-in Intl APIs, so once it has loaded it keeps working with the connection off. Nothing you type is sent anywhere.
About this tool
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