When Does Daylight Saving Time End — and Will It Ever Be Abolished?About 70 countries still move their clocks twice a year; most of the world never did. Here are the 2026 dates, the history, and the stalled laws that could end the practice.The 2026 datesIn the United States, daylight saving time ends at 2:00 a.m. local time on Sunday 1 November 2026, when clocks fall back one hour (Energy Policy Act of 2005: first Sunday of November). The European Union and the United Kingdom changed a week earlier, on the last Sunday of October — 25 October 2026 — at 01:00 UTC. Our countdown page tracks the US moment in Eastern Time, because that is the change most searched for.Who changes clocks and who doesn'tRoughly 70 countries observe some form of daylight saving, concentrated in North America and Europe. Most of Asia and Africa never adopted it. Within the US, Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii stay on standard time year-round, as do territories like Puerto Rico and Guam. Countries near the equator have little reason to shift clocks because their daylight hours barely vary.A short historyGermany first adopted DST in 1916 to save coal during the First World War, and other countries followed. The US standardized its dates with the Uniform Time Act of 1966 and last extended the DST period in 2005, moving the end from late October to early November — partly so Halloween would have more evening light. The twice-yearly change has been challenged almost since it began.The abolition debateThe US Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022, which would have made daylight saving time permanent, but it stalled in the House and has not become law; states may only opt out of DST (onto permanent standard time), not into permanent DST, without an act of Congress. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to end the clock changes, but member states never agreed on which time to keep, so the switch continues. Sleep researchers and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine generally favor permanent standard time, arguing it aligns better with human circadian rhythms.What the change costsStudies have linked the spring transition (losing an hour) to short-term increases in heart attacks, strokes and traffic accidents in the following days. The autumn change is milder — most people simply gain an hour of sleep — but it shifts sunset an hour earlier, which is why the days after 1 November feel abruptly darker in the US.SourcesUS dates and rules: Energy Policy Act of 2005 and timeanddate.com. EU rule: Directive 2000/84/EC (last Sunday of October, 01:00 UTC). Sunshine Protection Act: US Congress records (S.623, passed the Senate March 2022). EU 2019 vote: European Parliament legislative resolution. Health effects: American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement (2020) and peer-reviewed studies cited therein.Frequently asked questionsWhen does daylight saving time end in 2026?In the US, at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday 1 November 2026. In the EU and UK, on Sunday 25 October 2026 at 01:00 UTC.Do all US states change their clocks?No. Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii stay on standard time all year, as do Puerto Rico, Guam and other territories.Will the US abolish daylight saving time?The Sunshine Protection Act passed the Senate in 2022 but stalled in the House. Until Congress acts, the twice-yearly change continues.How many countries use daylight saving time?About 70, mostly in North America and Europe. Most of Asia and Africa never adopted it.

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When Does Daylight Saving Time End — and Will It Ever Be Abolished?

About 70 countries still move their clocks twice a year; most of the world never did. Here are the 2026 dates, the history, and the stalled laws that could end the practice.

The 2026 dates

In the United States, daylight saving time ends at 2:00 a.m. local time on Sunday 1 November 2026, when clocks fall back one hour (Energy Policy Act of 2005: first Sunday of November). The European Union and the United Kingdom changed a week earlier, on the last Sunday of October — 25 October 2026 — at 01:00 UTC. Our countdown page tracks the US moment in Eastern Time, because that is the change most searched for.

Who changes clocks and who doesn't

Roughly 70 countries observe some form of daylight saving, concentrated in North America and Europe. Most of Asia and Africa never adopted it. Within the US, Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii stay on standard time year-round, as do territories like Puerto Rico and Guam. Countries near the equator have little reason to shift clocks because their daylight hours barely vary.

A short history

Germany first adopted DST in 1916 to save coal during the First World War, and other countries followed. The US standardized its dates with the Uniform Time Act of 1966 and last extended the DST period in 2005, moving the end from late October to early November — partly so Halloween would have more evening light. The twice-yearly change has been challenged almost since it began.

The abolition debate

The US Senate passed the Sunshine Protection Act in 2022, which would have made daylight saving time permanent, but it stalled in the House and has not become law; states may only opt out of DST (onto permanent standard time), not into permanent DST, without an act of Congress. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to end the clock changes, but member states never agreed on which time to keep, so the switch continues. Sleep researchers and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine generally favor permanent standard time, arguing it aligns better with human circadian rhythms.

What the change costs

Studies have linked the spring transition (losing an hour) to short-term increases in heart attacks, strokes and traffic accidents in the following days. The autumn change is milder — most people simply gain an hour of sleep — but it shifts sunset an hour earlier, which is why the days after 1 November feel abruptly darker in the US.

Sources

US dates and rules: Energy Policy Act of 2005 and timeanddate.com. EU rule: Directive 2000/84/EC (last Sunday of October, 01:00 UTC). Sunshine Protection Act: US Congress records (S.623, passed the Senate March 2022). EU 2019 vote: European Parliament legislative resolution. Health effects: American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement (2020) and peer-reviewed studies cited therein.

Frequently asked questions

When does daylight saving time end in 2026?

In the US, at 2:00 a.m. on Sunday 1 November 2026. In the EU and UK, on Sunday 25 October 2026 at 01:00 UTC.

Do all US states change their clocks?

No. Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) and Hawaii stay on standard time all year, as do Puerto Rico, Guam and other territories.

Will the US abolish daylight saving time?

The Sunshine Protection Act passed the Senate in 2022 but stalled in the House. Until Congress acts, the twice-yearly change continues.

How many countries use daylight saving time?

About 70, mostly in North America and Europe. Most of Asia and Africa never adopted it.