UK time · the United Kingdom

United Kingdom time now, live flip clock

Synchronizing time

Synchronizing with server time.

The United Kingdom keeps Greenwich Mean Time, GMT, UTC+0, in winter and British Summer Time, BST, UTC+1, in summer. The clock above shows UK time live, with seconds, and moves between the two on its own.

Updated · Time zone data 2026e · Sources

Time zone in the United Kingdom

England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all keep the same time, and change their clocks on the same days.

Time zone
Greenwich Mean Time
Standard time
GMT, UTC+0
Daylight saving time
BST, UTC+1
Main cities
London, Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester

When the clocks change in the United Kingdom

Clocks in the United Kingdom change twice a year.

Clocks go back

Sunday 25 October 2026

2:00 AMto1:00 AM

Then GMT, UTC+0

Clocks go forward

Sunday 28 March 2027

1:00 AMto2:00 AM

Then BST, UTC+1

Last change: On Sunday 29 March 2026 at 1:00 AM, clocks went forward one hour, to BST.

Daylight saving dates around the world

How many hours ahead or behind the United Kingdom

On 7 October 2026, New York is 5 hours behind the United Kingdom.

CityDifference from the United Kingdom
New York5 hours behind
Los Angeles8 hours behind
Toronto5 hours behind
Paris1 hour ahead
Dubai3 hours ahead
Kolkata4 hours 30 minutes ahead
Hong Kong7 hours ahead
Sydney10 hours ahead
Your time zoneDetected after this page loads

Convert a time between any two places

How the UK keeps its time

The law's default
GMTthe legal time unless a law says otherwise
Under the Interpretation Act, a time of day written in an Act of Parliament means Greenwich Mean Time. That holds unless the Act says otherwise. The Summer Time Act moves general time one hour ahead each summer. Summer time runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October.
Sources legislation.gov.uk, Interpretation Act 1978, section 9, legislation.gov.uk, Summer Time Act 1972, section 1
The time signal from Cumbria
60 kHzMSF, broadcast from Anthorn
The National Physical Laboratory keeps the UK's reference time scale. Its MSF radio time signal is sent from Anthorn Radio Station in Cumbria on 60 kHz. The signal is checked against that time scale, and radio-controlled clocks pick it up.
Sources National Physical Laboratory, Time scales, National Physical Laboratory, MSF radio time signal
Double summer time
2 hahead of Greenwich in wartime summers
During the Second World War, Britain set its clocks two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time in summer. The scheme was known as British Double Summer Time.
Source Royal Museums Greenwich, British Summer Time and daylight saving
The winters the clocks stayed forward
3winters the clocks were not put back
In an experiment from the late sixties into the early seventies, the clocks went forward but were not put back. It ended because its advantages and disadvantages proved impossible to weigh. Scottish MPs objected. One said that in the Western Isles, daylight did not come until after ten on midwinter mornings.
Sources Royal Museums Greenwich, British Summer Time and daylight saving, Hansard, British Standard Time debate, December 1970

Questions about time in the United Kingdom

What time zone is the UK in?

The UK keeps Greenwich Mean Time, GMT, UTC+0, in winter and British Summer Time, BST, UTC+1, in summer. England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland share the same time. The National Physical Laboratory keeps the country's reference time, and its MSF radio signal is broadcast from Cumbria.

When do the clocks change in the UK?

The clocks go forward one hour on the last Sunday in March. The change comes at one o'clock in the morning, Greenwich Mean Time. They go back one hour at two o'clock British Summer Time on the last Sunday in October. The cards above show the next two changes with their exact times.

Is Northern Ireland on the same time as the rest of the UK?

Yes. The Summer Time Act applies to Northern Ireland in the same way as to Great Britain. So Belfast changes its clocks on the same days as London. The Republic of Ireland's clocks also match the UK's all year. Crossing the Irish border does not mean a change of time.

What is the time difference between the UK and the US?

New York is 5 hours behind London for most of the year. Los Angeles is 8 hours behind London for most of the year. The gap is an hour smaller for a few weeks in March and for one week in autumn. That is because the US changes its clocks on different Sundays from the UK.

What is the time difference between the UK and India?

India is 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of the UK in the British winter. The UK moves its clocks forward in summer and India does not, so the gap shrinks by an hour. When London starts work, it is early afternoon in India.

Time zone names for developers
IANA zoneStandard timeDaylight saving time
Europe/LondonGMT, UTC+0Yes

Sources

We checked each fact on this page against these sources on 30 September 2026. Times, offsets and clock changes come from the time zone database.

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