Toronto time now, live flip clock
Toronto keeps Eastern time, EST, UTC-5 in winter and EDT, UTC-4 from March to November. Ottawa, Montréal and most of Ontario and Quebec keep the same clock. Toronto time now is on the clock above, to the second.
Time in Toronto at a glance
- Time zone
- Eastern Time (EST)
- Standard time
- EST, UTC-5
- Daylight saving time
- EDT, UTC-4
- Used in
- Canada, the Bahamas
Time zone names for developers
IANA time zone identifier: America/Toronto
Where Toronto time applies
Every place in the table keeps Toronto's clock and changes it on the same dates. In Ontario, that is the part the Time Act puts east of the 90° W meridian.
| Place | Where | Clock changes |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | East of 90° W, including Toronto, Ottawa and Mississauga | |
| Quebec | Most areas, including Montréal | |
| The Bahamas | The whole of it |
When the clocks change in Toronto
Clocks in Toronto change twice a year.
- On Sunday 8 March 2026 at 2:00 AM, clocks went forward one hour, to EDT.
- On Sunday 1 November 2026 at 2:00 AM, clocks go back one hour, to EST.
- On Sunday 14 March 2027 at 2:00 AM, clocks go forward one hour, to EDT.
How many hours ahead or behind Toronto
On 23 October 2026, London is 5 hours ahead of Toronto.
| City | Difference from Toronto |
|---|---|
| London | 5 hours ahead |
| Paris | 6 hours ahead |
| Vancouver | 3 hours behind |
| Halifax | 1 hour ahead |
| Kolkata | 9 hours 30 minutes ahead |
| Manila | 12 hours ahead |
| Shanghai | 12 hours ahead |
| Sydney | 15 hours ahead |
| Your time zone | Detected after this page loads |
How Ontario sets its clock
- Ontario's two standard times
- 90° W
- Ontario's Time Act draws its line at the meridian of 90° W. East of the line, Toronto included, standard time is EST, UTC-5. West of it, the Act sets standard time one hour behind the east.
- Cabinet can vary the clock by regulation
- By regulation
- The Time Act lets the Lieutenant Governor in Council, Ontario's cabinet, make regulations about time. A regulation can vary the standard and daylight offsets the Act fixes. It can also vary when each of the two times is in force.
- Most of Quebec on Toronto's entry
- Ontario and Quebec
- In the IANA time zone database, the entry for Toronto stands for Eastern time in most of Ontario and Quebec. A note in its North America file points readers to Toronto for most of Quebec, Montréal included. The database's zone table also lists the Bahamas on the same entry.
Questions about Toronto time
What time is it in Toronto right now?
The clock at the top of this page gives Toronto's local time, to the second. It moves from EST to EDT and back on the right nights, without any setting from you. Ottawa, Montréal and Mississauga read the same.
Is Toronto on the same time as New York?
Yes, in every season. Both cities keep Eastern time. Toronto's clocks change on the same Sundays as New York's, so neither city gets ahead of the other. A meeting time set in Toronto needs no conversion for New York.
When do the clocks change in Ontario?
Under Ontario's Time Act, clocks spring forward one hour on March's second Sunday and go back on November's first Sunday. In Toronto, each switch comes on the night of Saturday into Sunday.
Is Ontario getting rid of the time change?
Not in Toronto, for now. The Time Amendment Act would end the changes and keep one time through the whole year. It has received royal assent, but it comes into force only on a day the Lieutenant Governor names by proclamation. Until then, Toronto's clocks still change in March and November.
What is the time difference between Toronto and India?
India is 10 hours 30 minutes ahead of Toronto in winter. India does not change its clocks, so the gap shrinks by one hour while Toronto keeps daylight time. A call at the start of Toronto's working day reaches India in the evening, in every season.
Sources
We checked each fact on this page against these sources on 20 October 2026. Times, offsets and clock changes come from the time zone database.