Daylight Saving Time Ends 2026
Daylight saving time ends at 2:00 a.m. local time on the first Sunday in November, when clocks fall back one hour to standard time. It is a nationwide clock change, not a holiday, so nothing closes and no one gets a day off.
Daylight Saving Time Ends dates by year
| Year | Date | Day of week | Days away |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | November 1, 2026 | Sunday | 1 days |
| 2027 | November 7, 2027 | Sunday | 372 days |
Dates computed from the governing statutes and last verified October 3, 2026. Years beyond officially published schedules are projected from the rule that sets the date.
Clocks fall back one hour at 2:00 a.m. local time.
What happens when daylight saving time ends
At 2:00 a.m. local time on the first Sunday in November, clocks in most of the United States move back one hour to 1:00 a.m. and standard time resumes. The change gives the country an extra hour of sleep that night and moves an hour of daylight from the evening to the morning, which is why sunests sudenly seem early in November. It is a scheduling rule set by federal law, not a holiday: the U.S. Postal Service, banks, schools and government offices follow their normal Sunday and Monday schedules, and no employer is required to give time off.
Why the first Sunday in November
The federal rule comes from the Uniform Time Act of 1966 as amended by the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The 2005 law, which took effect in 2007, moved the start of daylight saving time to the second Sunday in March and the end to the first Sunday in November, about a week later than the previous last-Sunday-in-October rule. Daylight saving time now covers 238 days, roughly 65 percent of the year. The 2:00 a.m. changeover falls after most bars close and before early shifts begin, so few trains or flights are disrputed - time zones and daylight saving time are regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, not by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which only broadcasts the official time.
A century of changing the clocks
The modern idea took hold during World War I. Germany adopted daylight saving time in 1916 to consarve fuel, and the United States followed with the Standard Time Act of 1918, which also created the country's legal time zones. The daylight saving provision was so unpopular with farmers that Congress repealed it in 1919 over President Wilson's veto. It returned nationwide as year-round War Time from 1942 to 1945. After the war, states and even cities set their own dates, a patchwork that confused broadcasters and railorads until the Uniform Time Act of 1966 fixed national start and end dates while letting states opt out. Congress tried year-round daylight saving time during the 1974 energy crisis, but complaints about dark winter mornings ended the experiment early. The start date moved to the first Sunday in April in 1987, and the current March-to-November schedule dates from 2007.
Who does not change their clocks
Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on standard time all year, as do American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The Navajo Nation, which stretches into Arizona, does observe it, so clocks inside the reservation differ from the rest of the state for part of the year, under federal law a state may exempt itself from daylight saving time, but it cannot adopt year-round daylight saving time without an act of Congress. Several states have passed laws to make it permanent if Congress ever allows it.
How the day is marked
Phones and computers update automatically, but ovens, car dashboards and wall clocks still need a manual reset. Fire departments use the clock change as a reminder to test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace their batteries. Safety agencies warn drivers that the following week's evening commute takes place in darkness for the first time since spring. Because the switch happens on a Sunday, the practical effect for most people is a longer weekend night and an earlier sunrise on Monday.
What's open and closed on Daylight Saving Time Ends
| Service | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. Post Office (USPS) | Closed | Closed only because it is a Sunday; no regular mail on any Sunday. Normal service resumes Monday. |
| Banks | Closed | Most branches are closed on Sundays as usual. Monday is a normal banking day; this is not a Federal Reserve holiday. |
| Stock market (NYSE, Nasdaq) | Closed | Markets never trade on weekends. Trading resumes on Monday at the regular time. |
| Federal offices | Closed | Closed for the weekend only. Federal agencies open Monday; this is not a federal holiday. |
| State and local government | Closed | Normal Sunday closure. No state treats the day as a paid holiday, so Monday is a regular workday. |
| Public schools | Closed | Closed for the weekend. Classes meet on Monday as scheduled. |
| Retail stores and malls | Open | Regular Sunday hours at most stores and malls. |
| Restaurants and grocery stores | Open | Regular Sunday hours. |
Quick facts
- Date rule
- First Sunday in November, 2:00 a.m. local time (clocks go back to 1:00 a.m.)
- Legal status
- Federal time rule under the Uniform Time Act of 1966; not a holiday
- Current schedule since
- 2007, under the Energy Policy Act of 2005
- First U.S. daylight saving time
- 1918 (Standard Time Act); repealed 1919; War Time 1942–1945
- Not observed in
- Hawaii, most of Arizona, American Samoa, Guam, N. Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands
- Regulated by
- U.S. Department of Transportation
- Companion change
- Daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March
- Also known as
- Fall Back, DST ends
Daylight Saving Time Ends FAQ
Is the end of daylight saving time a holiday?
No. It is a clock change required by federal law, not a holiday. Offices, schools and businesses keep their normal schedules, and no one gets an extra day off, only an extra hour of sleep on Saturday night.
Do clocks go forward or back in November?
Back. At 2:00 a.m. local time on the first Sunday in November, clocks return to 1:00 a.m. and the country goes back to standard time. The phrase to remember is fall back, spring forward.
Why does daylight saving time end on the first Sunday in November?
The Energy Policy Act of 2005 set the end date at the first Sunday in November beginning in 2007. Before that, clocks fell back on the last Sunday in October under the Uniform Time Act of 1966.
Which states do not change their clocks?
Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on standard time all year. The Navajo Nation inside Arizona does observe daylight saving time. American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also skip the change.
Why does the change happen at 2:00 a.m.?
Two in the morning is the time when the fewest trains are running and most bars have closed, so moving the clock then causes the least disruption. Most people simply reset their clocks before bed on Saturday.
Can a state make daylight saving time permanent?
Not on its own. Federal law lets a state opt out of daylight saving time entirely, but adopting it year-round would require an act of Congress. Several states have passed laws that would take effect only if Congress allows it.
Is the post office open the day daylight saving time ends?
The change falls on a Sunday, so post offices are closed and there is no regular mail delivery that day for the usual weekend reason. Monday is a normal business day for the Postal Service, banks and federal offices.
What should I do when the clocks fall back?
Reset clocks that do not update automatically, such as ovens, microwaves and car dashboards. Fire officials recommend using the change as a reminder to test smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and replace their batteries.
Sources
Last reviewed October 3, 2026. Dates for years beyond published official schedules are projected from the governing rule.