Clock change planner

Clocks go back an hour on Sunday, October 25, 2026, in the UK and EU, and on Sunday, November 1 in the US and most of Canada. Enter your usual sleep times and you get a plan for each day around the change, with times for sleep, light and caffeine. No signup needed.

Where do you live?

Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Yukon and most of Saskatchewan keep the same time all year. British Columbia has moved to year-round daylight time, and the Canada Border Services Agency says Alberta is staying on daylight time too. If you live in Alberta, check the Alberta government's notice.

Who is the plan for?

I usually wake up at

Drag or scroll to adjust. Tap the time to type.

I usually go to sleep at

Drag or scroll to adjust. Tap the time to type.

Do you drink coffee or tea?

How much should the times move each day?

20 minutes a day starts 3 days before the change. 15 minutes a day starts 4 days before.

Clocks go back on Sunday, Nov 12:00 AM goes back to 1:00 AM. Your plan starts Thursday, Oct 29.

Thursday, Oct 29. The arc follows your sleep times, so it won’t match sunrise and sunset where you live.

4:20 PM

Light into the evening

Bright light from 4:20 PM to 8:20 PM. Go outside if it's still light, and keep every lamp on after dark. Then dim the house. Bed at 11:20 PM.

Thursday, Oct 29, hour by hour

Move 20 minutes later each day for 3 days, then keep your usual times on the new clock. Last coffee or tea is 8 hours before each bedtime.

Morning
Keep the bedroom dark until 7:20 AM. Then open the curtains, or turn the lights on if it's still dark.
Light
4:20 PM to 8:20 PM. Go outside if it's still light, and keep every lamp on after dark.
Evening
Dim the house from 8:20 PM.
Caffeine
Last coffee or tea by 3:20 PM.

From Sunday, every time here is on the new clock.

Downloads a calendar file with each day’s times.

Keep going after the change

This plan covers the days around the change. Answer a few questions and Calibrate builds a daily plan for light and sleep that fits your days.

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How the clock change plan works

Before the change

Bed and wake times move 20 minutes a day for 3 days, or 15 minutes a day for 4

Clocks go back

Light late in the day and a dim early morning ¹

Clocks go forward

Light soon after waking and a dim evening ¹

Learn more

Your body clock sets when you get sleepy and when you wake up, and it doesn’t move when the clocks do. After the clocks go back, it still wakes you at the old time, which your phone now shows as an hour earlier. Light moves it, and which way depends on when you see it. Light in the evening moves it later, and light in the early morning moves it earlier ¹.

The planner moves your sleep in small steps before the change, with light at the end of the day in the fall and at the start of the day in spring. By the night the clocks change you are already sleeping at the new times, and from that Sunday you keep your usual times on the new clock.

When do the clocks change?

Sunday, October 25, 20262:00 AM goes back to 1:00 AM

Sunday, October 25, 20263:00 AM goes back to 2:00 AM in central Europe

US and Canada

Sunday, November 1, 20262:00 AM goes back to 1:00 AM

US and Canada

Sunday, March 14, 20272:00 AM jumps to 3:00 AM

Sunday, March 28, 20271:00 AM jumps to 2:00 AM

Sunday, March 28, 20272:00 AM jumps to 3:00 AM in central Europe

In the UK and the EU, the clocks change on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October ^2,3, and every EU country changes at the same moment as the UK ³. In the US they change on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November, except in Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands and American Samoa ⁴. In Canada, Yukon and most of Saskatchewan keep the same time all year ⁵, and British Columbia has moved to year-round daylight time ⁶. The Canada Border Services Agency says Alberta is staying on daylight time year-round too ⁷. If you live in Alberta, check the Alberta government’s notice.

On July 14, 2026, the House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill to make daylight saving time permanent. As of October 12, 2026, the Senate had not voted on it ⁸, so US clocks still change. The European Commission proposed ending the changes in 2018, and EU governments have not agreed on a position yet ⁹.

Why this is an estimate

A study from Munich tracked 50 people for eight weeks around each change. In the fall, their sleep and activity times moved to the new clock easily. In spring their activity times didn’t adjust, and the gap was biggest in people whose body clocks run late ¹⁰. So treat the times here as a starting point and adjust to how you feel.

Learn more

The extra hour in the fall may not mean extra sleep. A 2013 review found little evidence of extra sleep that night, and five days of earlier waking afterward seemed to add up to a net loss of sleep over the week ¹¹. If you’re so sleepy in the day that driving or work feels unsafe, or your sleep is still off weeks after the change, see a doctor.

Clock change FAQ

When do the clocks go back in 2026?

In the UK and EU, on Sunday, October 25. In the UK, 2:00 AM goes back to 1:00 AM. Every EU country changes at that same moment, so in central Europe 3:00 AM goes back to 2:00 AM. In the US and most of Canada, the clocks go back on Sunday, November 1, when 2:00 AM goes back to 1:00 AM.

When do the clocks go forward in 2027?

In the US and most of Canada, on Sunday, March 14, when 2:00 AM jumps to 3:00 AM. In the UK and EU, on Sunday, March 28. In the UK, 1:00 AM jumps to 2:00 AM, and in central Europe 2:00 AM jumps to 3:00 AM.

How do I adjust my sleep when the clocks go back?

Start three days before. Go to bed and get up about 20 minutes later each day, so by Saturday you're an hour later than usual. On those days, get light in the late afternoon and early evening, and keep the early morning dim until your wake time. From Sunday, keep your usual times on the new clock.

Why do I wake up so early after the clocks go back?

Your body clock is still on the old time, so 5:00 AM on the new clock feels like 6:00 AM. If you wake at 4 or 5, treat it as the middle of the night. Keep the room dark and leave your phone alone until your wake time, because bright light that early pushes your body clock earlier and keeps the early waking going. Light in the late afternoon moves it the other way.

How do I help my child adjust to the time change?

Start four days before and move bedtime, wake-up time, naps and meals 15 minutes a day, later in the fall and earlier in spring. That adds up to the full hour by the night of the change. In the fall, get them outside in the late afternoon and keep their room dark until that day's new wake time. After the spring change the evenings are lighter, so blackout curtains help if it's still light at bedtime.

Is daylight saving time ending in 2026?

Not in the US or the EU. On July 14, 2026, the House of Representatives passed the Sunshine Protection Act, a bill to make daylight saving time permanent. As of October 12, 2026, the Senate had not voted on it, so US clocks still change. The European Commission proposed ending the changes in 2018, and EU governments have not agreed on a position yet. In Canada, British Columbia has moved to year-round daylight time, and the Canada Border Services Agency says Alberta is staying on daylight time too.

How does this clock change planner work?

It finds the next clock change where you live and moves your bedtime and wake time toward the new clock in steps of 20 or 15 minutes a day, so you reach the new times by the night of the change. Each day gets a window for light, a time to start dimming the house and, if you drink coffee or tea, a last time for it, 8 hours before bed. From the change day, it keeps your usual times on the new clock through the following Thursday.

References

Khalsa SBS, Jewett ME, Cajochen C, Czeisler CA (2003). A phase response curve to single bright light pulses in human subjects. The Journal of Physiology, 549(3), 945-952. doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2003.040477
HM Government. When do the clocks change? GOV.UK, undated web page, accessed October 12, 2026. www.gov.uk/when-do-the-clocks-change
European Parliament, Council of the European Union (2001). Directive 2000/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 January 2001 on summer-time arrangements. Official Journal of the European Communities, L 31, 21-22. www.legislation.gov.uk/eudr/2000/84/contents
National Institute of Standards and Technology (2026). Daylight saving time rules. U.S. Department of Commerce, updated February 9, 2026, accessed October 12, 2026. www.nist.gov/pml/time-and-frequency-division/popular-links/daylight-saving-time-dst
National Research Council Canada (2025). Time zones and daylight saving time. Government of Canada, modified November 1, 2025, accessed October 12, 2026. nrc.canada.ca/en/certifications-evaluations-standards/canadas-official-time/time-zones-daylight-saving-time
Government of British Columbia, Ministry of Citizens' Services (2026). No falling back with B.C.'s new time zone code, Pacific Time: PCT. BC Gov News, September 17, 2026, accessed October 12, 2026. news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2026CITZ0009-001073
Canada Border Services Agency (2026). The CBSA is adjusting hours of service at four land ports of entry in Alberta. Government of Canada news release, October 9, 2026, accessed October 12, 2026. www.canada.ca/en/border-services-agency/news/2026/10/the-cbsa-is-adjusting-hours-of-service-at-four-land-ports-of-entry-in-alberta.html
U.S. Congress. H.R.139, Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, 119th Congress (2025-2026). Congress.gov, Library of Congress, accessed October 12, 2026. www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/139
European Commission, Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport. Summertime. European Commission, undated web page, accessed October 12, 2026. transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/summertime_en
Kantermann T, Juda M, Merrow M, Roenneberg T (2007). The human circadian clock's seasonal adjustment is disrupted by daylight saving time. Current Biology, 17(22), 1996-2000. doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2007.10.025
Harrison Y (2013). The impact of daylight saving time on sleep and related behaviours. Sleep Medicine Reviews, 17(4), 285-292. doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2012.10.001

This planner is for wellness education and gives estimates. It is not medical advice, and it does not diagnose or treat any condition. If you have a sleep disorder, are pregnant, or take medication that affects sleep, talk with your health care provider before changing your sleep schedule.