Current Time in Washington, D.C.

About time in Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C. keeps Eastern Time, placing the US capital on the same clock as New York, Boston, and Atlanta. The city uses Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5) through the winter and shifts to Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4) from mid-March until early November. Because federal agencies, Congress, and embassies all run on this schedule, official Washington business hours set the rhythm for much of national politics. When it is 9 a.m. in D.C., government offices open just as the East Coast markets begin trading.

Washington, D.C. changes its clocks for daylight saving time, so its exact UTC offset depends on the season (UTC-5 (UTC-4 in summer)). The live clock above reads Washington, D.C.'s local time directly from the IANA time zone database in your browser, using the rules installed on your device. Keep your browser updated when regional rules change. To plan a call or convert a specific moment, use the timezone converter or meeting planner linked below.

Daylight in Washington, D.C. through 2026

Washington, D.C. sits at about 38.9°N, 77.0°W. The longest day of 2026 is June 18, with 14h 54m between sunrise and sunset. The shortest is December 18, with 9h 26m, a difference of 5 h 28 min. At this mid-latitude, winter evenings are dark early and summer evenings stay light well after a normal working day.

The earliest sunrise of the year comes around June 8 (05:42) and the latest sunset around June 22 (20:37). These are not exactly on the solstice because the sun’s position runs slightly ahead of or behind clock time during the year.

Solar noon, when the sun is highest, falls at about 13:15 local time in late March, 13:09 in late June and 12:06 in late December. In standard time the sun is highest at about 12:08 on average, close to 12:00, so the clock and the sun are well aligned in Washington, D.C.. During daylight saving time everything moves an hour later on the clock.

Local clock times, including daylight saving where it applies. Calculated with the standard sunrise equation for the city centre; terrain and tall buildings can delay the visible sunrise.

Clock changes in Washington, D.C. (2026–2027)

Washington, D.C. changes its clocks twice in 2026. On a change night, the local time skips or repeats a block of time, and the gap to other cities shifts unless they change on the same date.

• Sunday, March 8, 2026: at 02:00 clocks go forward one hour to 03:00 (UTC−5 → UTC−4).
• Sunday, November 1, 2026: at 02:00 clocks go back one hour to 01:00 (UTC−4 → UTC−5).
• Sunday, March 14, 2027: at 02:00 clocks go forward one hour to 03:00 (UTC−5 → UTC−4).
• Sunday, November 7, 2027: at 02:00 clocks go back one hour to 01:00 (UTC−4 → UTC−5).

Recurring meetings set in Washington, D.C. time stay at the same local hour; participants elsewhere see the meeting move by an hour for the weeks when only one side has changed.

Dates come from the IANA time zone database as bundled with this site’s build. Governments occasionally change rules at short notice; see our methodology.