America/El_Salvador is an IANA time zone used in El Salvador. It stays on UTC−6 all year.
America/El_Salvador at a glance
| UTC offset now | UTC−6 |
|---|---|
| Standard time | UTC−6 (CST) |
| Abbreviations | CST |
| Used in | El Salvador |
How America/El_Salvador keeps time
No clock changes are scheduled in America/El_Salvador. The last one for daylight saving time was in 1988; since then the offset has been UTC−6 all year.
Recent and upcoming changes in America/El_Salvador
| Date | Change | New offset |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, May 3, 1987 | Clocks go forward 1 hour: 12:00 AM becomes 1:00 AM | UTC−5 |
| Saturday, September 26, 1987 | Clocks go back 1 hour: 12:00 AM becomes 11:00 PM | UTC−6 |
| Sunday, May 1, 1988 | Clocks go forward 1 hour: 12:00 AM becomes 1:00 AM | UTC−5 |
| Saturday, September 24, 1988 | Clocks go back 1 hour for good: 12:00 AM becomes 11:00 PM | UTC−6 |
Countries and cities on America/El_Salvador
America/El_Salvador is used in El Salvador. These are the largest cities in our list that follow it.
America/El_Salvador compared with other time zones
Differences change during the year when one side moves to or from daylight saving time, so the table shows January and July separately.
| City | Time now | Difference now | In January | In July |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York (United States) | --:-- | 1 h ahead | 1 h ahead | 2 h ahead |
| Los Angeles (United States) | --:-- | 2 h behind | 2 h behind | 1 h behind |
| London (United Kingdom) | --:-- | 6 h ahead | 6 h ahead | 7 h ahead |
| Paris (France) | --:-- | 7 h ahead | 7 h ahead | 8 h ahead |
| Dubai (United Arab Emirates) | --:-- | 10 h ahead | 10 h ahead | 10 h ahead |
| Mumbai (India) | --:-- | 11 h 30 min ahead | 11 h 30 min ahead | 11 h 30 min ahead |
| Singapore | --:-- | 14 h ahead | 14 h ahead | 14 h ahead |
| Tokyo (Japan) | --:-- | 15 h ahead | 15 h ahead | 15 h ahead |
| Sydney (Australia) | --:-- | 17 h ahead | 17 h ahead | 16 h ahead |
| UTC | --:-- | 6 h ahead | 6 h ahead | 6 h ahead |
Other zones on UTC−6 right now
These IANA zones show the same time as America/El_Salvador today. Their clock-change rules may differ.
- America/Belize
- America/Chicago
- America/Chihuahua
- America/Costa_Rica
- America/Edmonton
- America/Guatemala
- America/Managua
- America/Matamoros
- America/Merida
- America/Mexico_City
- America/Monterrey
- America/Regina
Using America/El_Salvador in software
Use the zone name America/El_Salvador rather than an abbreviation or a fixed offset. Abbreviations can mean several zones, and offsets ignore future clock changes.
Show the current time in America/El_Salvador:
// JavaScript
new Intl.DateTimeFormat('en-GB', { timeZone: 'America/El_Salvador', timeStyle: 'long' }).format(new Date());
# Python
from datetime import datetime
from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo
datetime.now(ZoneInfo('America/El_Salvador'))
// PHP
(new DateTime('now', new DateTimeZone('America/El_Salvador')))->format('c');
# Shell
TZ=America/El_Salvador datePlan around the time in America/El_Salvador
- Convert a time to or from America/El_Salvador: pick a date and time and see it in every city on your list.
- Add San Salvador to your world clock to keep it next to your own time.
- Find a meeting time that falls inside office hours in America/El_Salvador and the other cities you work with.
- Open a full-screen clock for your own time zone.
Frequently asked questions
What is the UTC offset of America/El_Salvador?
UTC−6, all year.
What abbreviation does America/El_Salvador use?
CST. Abbreviations are not unique, so use the zone name America/El_Salvador in software.
Time zone rules: IANA tz database, version 2026e. Place names and coordinates: GeoNames. Sunrise and sunset are calculated from the coordinates and can differ by a minute or two from local almanacs.