Reference offset
EST is commonly associated with UTC-5 in standard time. The live clock shows the current regional offset separately.
Time-zone reference
Eastern Standard Time
EST is the standard-time abbreviation for the eastern part of the United States and Canada outside the daylight-saving period.
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EST is a fixed offset; Eastern Time is a regional clock
EST means Eastern Standard Time at UTC−05:00. The live reference here is New York, which can instead use Eastern Daylight Time at UTC−04:00. The regional clock is labeled with its actual current offset so you can see which applies.
For recurring New York appointments, choose America/New_York. A fixed 09:00 EST event means 14:00 UTC, including during periods when the New York wall clock is one hour ahead of EST. Spell out whether you mean the standard offset or local Eastern Time.
Conversion example
09:00 EST is 14:00 UTC. 09:00 at UTC−04:00 is 13:00 UTC. Treating those labels as equivalent creates a one-hour error.
A common scheduling mistake
Writing EST on every invitation from New York can be misleading during daylight time.
Regional rules: IANA Time Zone Database Our calculation methods
What this abbreviation usually means
Because the region moves to EDT in warmer months, this page uses New York as the reference city and keeps the DST distinction explicit.
EST conversion chart
Each hour of EST (UTC−5) converted to other common standard-time abbreviations. “+1” and “−1” mark the next or previous calendar day.
| EST | UTC | PST | GMT | CET | IST | JST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00:00 | 05:00 | 21:00−1 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 10:30 | 14:00 |
| 01:00 | 06:00 | 22:00−1 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 11:30 | 15:00 |
| 02:00 | 07:00 | 23:00−1 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 12:30 | 16:00 |
| 03:00 | 08:00 | 00:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 13:30 | 17:00 |
| 04:00 | 09:00 | 01:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 14:30 | 18:00 |
| 05:00 | 10:00 | 02:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 15:30 | 19:00 |
| 06:00 | 11:00 | 03:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 16:30 | 20:00 |
| 07:00 | 12:00 | 04:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 17:30 | 21:00 |
| 08:00 | 13:00 | 05:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 18:30 | 22:00 |
| 09:00 | 14:00 | 06:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 19:30 | 23:00 |
| 10:00 | 15:00 | 07:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 20:30 | 00:00+1 |
| 11:00 | 16:00 | 08:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 21:30 | 01:00+1 |
| 12:00 | 17:00 | 09:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 22:30 | 02:00+1 |
| 13:00 | 18:00 | 10:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 23:30 | 03:00+1 |
| 14:00 | 19:00 | 11:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 00:30+1 | 04:00+1 |
| 15:00 | 20:00 | 12:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 01:30+1 | 05:00+1 |
| 16:00 | 21:00 | 13:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 02:30+1 | 06:00+1 |
| 17:00 | 22:00 | 14:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 | 03:30+1 | 07:00+1 |
| 18:00 | 23:00 | 15:00 | 23:00 | 00:00+1 | 04:30+1 | 08:00+1 |
| 19:00 | 00:00+1 | 16:00 | 00:00+1 | 01:00+1 | 05:30+1 | 09:00+1 |
| 20:00 | 01:00+1 | 17:00 | 01:00+1 | 02:00+1 | 06:30+1 | 10:00+1 |
| 21:00 | 02:00+1 | 18:00 | 02:00+1 | 03:00+1 | 07:30+1 | 11:00+1 |
| 22:00 | 03:00+1 | 19:00 | 03:00+1 | 04:00+1 | 08:30+1 | 12:00+1 |
| 23:00 | 04:00+1 | 20:00 | 04:00+1 | 05:00+1 | 09:30+1 | 13:00+1 |
Where EST is used
These cities on our world clock use EST during standard time and EDT during daylight saving time:
- New York, United States
- Miami, United States
- Toronto, Canada
- Boston, United States
- Washington, D.C., United States
- Atlanta, United States
- Montreal, Canada
When EST and EDT switch in New York
- : EDT begins — at 02:00 local time clocks go forward to 03:00.
- : EST resumes — at 02:00 local time clocks go back to 01:00.
- : EDT begins — at 02:00 local time clocks go forward to 03:00.
- : EST resumes — at 02:00 local time clocks go back to 01:00.
EST questions
What is EST in UTC?
EST (Eastern Standard Time) is UTC−5, 5 hours behind UTC. To convert EST to UTC, add 5 hours: 12:00 EST is 17:00 UTC.
Is EST the same as EDT?
No. EST is the standard-time label and EDT is the daylight-saving label for the same region, one hour ahead. Most places that use EST in winter switch to EDT in summer, so a time written as EST during the summer months is usually a mislabel for EDT. When in doubt, name the city or use the IANA zone America/New_York.
Which cities use EST?
Cities on our world clock that use EST in standard time include New York, Miami, Toronto, Boston, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Montreal.
Compare EST with related zones
These are the abbreviations people most often compare against this reference.
UTC Open the UTC reference page and compare it directly with EST. CST (US) Open the CST (US) reference page and compare it directly with EST. PST Open the PST reference page and compare it directly with EST. Timezone Converter Convert a specific date and time between EST and any other major world zone.