Current Time in Washington D.C., United States (EST)

Standard time applies in Washington D.C. right now, at UTC−5. The next change comes on Sunday, March 14, 2027, when clocks move to UTC−4.

Washington D.C. and your time

Washington D.C. at a glance

Country	United States
Region	District of Columbia
Capital of	the United States
Time zone	America/New_York
Abbreviation now	EST
UTC offset now	UTC−5
Daylight saving time	Starts Mar 14, 2027
Next clock change	Sunday, March 14, 2027
Coordinates	38.90° N, 77.04° W

Washington D.C. time zone and clock changes

Washington D.C. follows the America/New_York time zone. Standard time began on Sunday, November 1, 2026. Once the clocks go forward at 2:00 AM, daylight saving time (UTC−4 (EDT)) lasts until Sunday, November 7, 2027.

As the capital, Washington D.C. sets the reference time for many national schedules, but the United States spans 6 offsets. The other zones are listed under the United States.

Clock changes in Washington D.C., 2026 and 2027

Times are local Washington D.C. time. Dates come from the IANA tz database, version 2026e.
Date	Change	New offset
Sunday, March 8, 2026	Clocks go forward 1 hour: 2:00 AM becomes 3:00 AM	UTC−4
Sunday, November 1, 2026	Clocks go back 1 hour: 2:00 AM becomes 1:00 AM	UTC−5
Sunday, March 14, 2027	Clocks go forward 1 hour: 2:00 AM becomes 3:00 AM	UTC−4
Sunday, November 7, 2027	Clocks go back 1 hour: 2:00 AM becomes 1:00 AM	UTC−5

How far ahead or behind Washington D.C. is

A 9:00 AM start in Washington D.C. is 2:00 PM in London, 1:00 AM (next day) in Sydney and 6:00 AM in Los Angeles.

City	Time now	Difference now	In January	In July	Shared office hours
Los Angeles	--:--	3 h behind	3 h behind	3 h behind	5 h
London (United Kingdom)	--:--	5 h ahead	5 h ahead	5 h ahead	3 h
Paris (France)	--:--	6 h ahead	6 h ahead	6 h ahead	2 h
Dubai (United Arab Emirates)	--:--	9 h ahead	9 h ahead	8 h ahead	None
Mumbai (India)	--:--	10 h 30 min ahead	10 h 30 min ahead	9 h 30 min ahead	None
Singapore	--:--	13 h ahead	13 h ahead	12 h ahead	None
Tokyo (Japan)	--:--	14 h ahead	14 h ahead	13 h ahead	None
Sydney (Australia)	--:--	16 h ahead	16 h ahead	14 h ahead	None
UTC	--:--	5 h ahead	5 h ahead	4 h ahead	3 h

Some gaps change during the year because Washington D.C. and the other city change clocks on different dates, or only one of them changes at all. The January and July columns show both versions.

Shared office hours is the part of a 9 AM to 5 PM local working day that both cities have in common. Weekends are not taken into account.

Sunrise, sunset and day length in Washington D.C.

Today

Sunrise	--:--
Sunset	--:--
Day length	--
Solar noon	--:--

The earliest sunrise in Washington D.C. is at 5:42 AM on June 13, and the latest sunset at 8:38 PM on June 27.

Daylight through the year in Washington D.C.

Calculated for 2026 at 38.90° N, 77.04° W. Times are local clock time, including daylight saving time where it applies.
	Date	Sunrise	Sunset	Day length
March equinox	March 20	7:11 AM	7:20 PM	12 h 9 min
June solstice	June 21	5:43 AM	8:37 PM	14 h 54 min
September equinox	September 22	6:56 AM	7:05 PM	12 h 9 min
December solstice	December 21	7:23 AM	4:50 PM	9 h 26 min

Daylight saving time moves sunrise and sunset 1 hour later by the clock in summer, which is why the latest sunsets fall in the daylight saving months.

When the sun is highest in Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. lies close to the centre of its time zone, so the sun is highest at about 12:10 PM on standard time and 1:10 PM during daylight saving time, close to clock noon.

Places close to Washington D.C.

Every city below shares Washington D.C.’s clock.

City	Distance	Time now	Difference
Baltimore	57 km (36 mi)	--:--	Same time
Richmond	154 km (95 mi)	--:--	Same time
Philadelphia	199 km (124 mi)	--:--	Same time
East Hampton	216 km (134 mi)	--:--	Same time
Newport News	219 km (136 mi)	--:--	Same time
Allentown	232 km (144 mi)	--:--	Same time
Norfolk	237 km (147 mi)	--:--	Same time
Virginia Beach	245 km (152 mi)	--:--	Same time

Cities that share Washington D.C.’s time zone

These cities follow the same time zone rules as Washington D.C., including the same clock changes.

Same time now, different rules

These places read the same time as Washington D.C. today but follow different rules, so they can drift apart when clocks change.

More cities in United States

All time zones and cities in the United States

Tools for time in Washington D.C.

Convert a time to or from Washington D.C.: pick a date and time and see it in every city on your list.
Add Washington D.C. to your world clock to keep it next to your own time.
Find a meeting time that falls inside office hours in Washington D.C. and the other cities you work with.
Open a full-screen clock for your own time zone.

Frequently asked questions

What time zone is Washington D.C. in?

Washington D.C. uses the America/New_York time zone: UTC−5 (EST) in standard time and UTC−4 (EDT) during daylight saving time.

When do the clocks change in Washington D.C.?

The next change is on Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 2:00 AM, when clocks go forward 1 hour to UTC−4. They go back again on Sunday, November 7, 2027.

What is the time difference between Washington D.C. and London?

Washington D.C. is 5 hours behind London for most of the year. From March 14 to March 27 and October 30 to November 7, the gap is 4 hours, because Washington D.C. and London change their clocks on different dates.

How long is the longest day in Washington D.C.?

About 14 hours 54 minutes, around the June solstice. The shortest day, around the December solstice, has about 9 hours 26 minutes of daylight.

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.