US Ends Daylight Saving Time on November 1

Millions of Americans will gain an additional hour as the United States returns to standard time on Sunday, November 1, 2026. The annual clock adjustment takes effect at 2 a.m. local time across most of the country, bringing earlier morning daylight and earlier sunsets as winter approaches.

The change marks the end of daylight saving time for 2026. Clocks move backward one hour, allowing people to sleep longer overnight while shifting daylight toward the morning. According to Yahoo News, most smartphones will update automatically, while traditional analog clocks require manual adjustment.

The seasonal adjustment also affects daily sunrise and sunset schedules. CBS News reported that in Boston, sunrise changes from 7:16 a.m. before the transition to 6:17 a.m. afterward. Sunset moves from 5:39 p.m. to 4:37 p.m.

CBS News describes the spring and summer arrangement as a period when the country effectively operates one hour ahead of standard time. The expression "saves" refers to the additional evening daylight produced by shifting clocks forward during those months.

The United States has followed this seasonal system for decades, with the current schedule established through legislation passed in 2005. Since 2007, daylight saving time has ended on the first Sunday of November rather than the final Sunday of October.

Americans have been "falling back" on that November schedule since the change took effect in 2007, according to CBS News. The annual adjustment reverses the March transition, when clocks previously "sprang forward" by one hour.

The country's first nationwide adoption of daylight saving time occurred in 1918 under the Standard Time Act. According to the Congressional Research Service, the measure was introduced during World War I as an energy conservation effort following similar changes in Europe.

Congress subsequently repealed the original arrangement, allowing states and municipalities greater flexibility. During World War II and the energy crisis of the 1970s, the federal government again experimented with year-round daylight saving time, but neither effort lasted.

Political debate over permanently changing the system has returned through the Sunshine Protection Act. CBS News reported that the legislation passed the House in July 2026 before advancing to the Senate. The proposal would maintain daylight saving time throughout the year after clocks move forward in March.

President Trump supports the proposal and has criticized Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican, over delays in advancing the legislation. Cotton has opposed permanent daylight saving time, arguing that previous experiments demonstrated the problems associated with extremely late winter sunrises.

In explaining his position, Cotton wrote that Congress had previously attempted the arrangement before reversing course "once Americans experienced absurdly late sunrises in the winter."

Yahoo News reported that the legislation faces uncertain prospects before the end of the congressional session. If it does not receive Senate approval before the new Congress takes office in early January, supporters would need to restart the legislative process.

There is also disagreement among researchers and health professionals about which time system would be preferable. Sleep scientists and doctors have advocated permanent standard time, citing potential benefits for natural sleep cycles and concerns about health risks. Other research has associated permanent daylight saving time with increased risks of vehicle collisions involving pedestrians during darker morning commutes.

Most US states observe daylight saving time, but Hawaii and most of Arizona do not. The Navajo Nation, which extends into Arizona, follows the seasonal adjustment to maintain consistent time with neighboring communities in New Mexico and Utah.

American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands also remain on standard time throughout the year. In California, voters approved a 2018 ballot measure allowing lawmakers to pursue an end to seasonal clock changes, but subsequent efforts have not implemented the change.

Daylight saving time is scheduled to return on Sunday, March 14, 2027, at 2 a.m. local time, when clocks will advance one hour again.