When do the clocks go back?
Sunday 25 October 2026
The clocks go back one hour at 02:00 BST on Sunday 25 October 2026, becoming 01:00 GMT. That ends British Summer Time, returns the UK to Greenwich Mean Time, and gives you an extra hour in bed on the night of Saturday 24 October.
| Year | Clocks go back — last Sunday of October, 02:00 BST |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday 25 October 2026 |
| 2027 | Sunday 31 October 2027 |
| 2028 | Sunday 29 October 2028 |
| 2029 | Sunday 28 October 2029 |
| 2030 | Sunday 27 October 2030 |
| 2031 | Sunday 26 October 2031 |
Add the clock changes to your calendar
Every UK clock change to 2031 in one file, or just the next change in Google Calendar.
The .ics file adds every UK clock change from 2026 to 2031 to Apple Calendar, Outlook or Google Calendar in one click.
The autumn change, explained
What happens when the clocks go back?
Direct answer. At 02:00 BST on the last Sunday of October, UK clocks go back to 01:00 GMT. The hour between 01:00 and 02:00 happens twice that night, the day is 25 hours long, and from then on the UK is on GMT (UTC+0).
The rule is fixed by the Summer Time Act 1972 and the Summer Time Order 2002, which is why the dates in the table above can be stated years ahead. The change applies across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at the same instant.
Key fact: Fall back = gain one hour. 02:00 BST becomes 01:00 GMT on the last Sunday of October.
Why 2am, and why a Sunday?
Direct answer. Two in the morning is when the fewest people are working, travelling or running timed processes, and moving the clock from 02:00 to 01:00 keeps the whole change inside a single calendar day.
A Sunday gives most people a day to adjust before the working week, and it is the day with the least scheduled transport. The same logic is used across Europe, where the change also happens at 01:00 UTC.
Key fact: The 01:00–02:00 hour repeats. Anything timed inside it — alarms, timers, transport — should be checked the night before.
What time does it get dark after the clocks go back?
Direct answer. By the clock, sunset arrives an hour earlier from the Sunday. In London that means dusk at about 16:47 instead of 17:49 the day before; sunrise moves from 07:39 to 06:41.
The amount of daylight does not change — it is the same length of day either side of the change. What changes is where that daylight sits on the clock: an hour moves from the evening to the morning, which is the whole point of returning to GMT for winter.
| City | Sunrise Sat 24 Oct | Sunset Sat 24 Oct | Sunrise Sun 25 Oct | Sunset Sun 25 Oct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 07:39 | 17:49 | 06:41 | 16:47 |
| Edinburgh | 08:01 | 17:51 | 07:03 | 16:48 |
| Cardiff | 07:51 | 18:01 | 06:53 | 16:59 |
| Belfast | 08:09 | 18:05 | 07:11 | 17:03 |
Times by the clock in force on each day, calculated with the standard NOAA solar-position method to the nearest minute. Local horizon and weather change what you actually see by a few minutes.
Devices, Europe and the USA
Which clocks change themselves?
Direct answer. Anything that takes its time from a network — phones, computers, tablets, smart TVs, smart speakers, car sat-navs with data — changes automatically overnight.
Manual clocks do not: ovens, microwaves, many car dashboards, boiler and central-heating timers, plug-in timers, analogue wall clocks and most watches. The usual casualty is the heating timer, which quietly runs an hour late all winter if it is missed.
Key fact: Automatic devices use the same IANA time-zone rules this site’s live clock uses, so they change at exactly 02:00.
Do the clocks go back in Europe the same night?
Direct answer. Yes. EU law (Directive 2000/84/EC) ends summer time in every member state at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday of October — the same moment as the UK’s 02:00 BST.
So the time difference between the UK and France, Spain, Germany, Italy, Ireland and the rest of the EU stays exactly the same through the change. Norway and Switzerland follow the same dates.
Does the USA change on the same day?
Direct answer. No. The United States and Canada end daylight saving time on the first Sunday of November — Sunday 1 November 2026 — under the US Energy Policy Act 2005.
For the week between the two dates the UK is one hour closer to North America than usual: four hours ahead of New York and Toronto instead of five, and seven hours ahead of Los Angeles instead of eight. The UK-to-New York converter handles this automatically for any date.
Key fact: UK: last Sunday of October. USA and Canada: first Sunday of November. Australia goes the other way — its clocks go forward in October.
Why the clocks go back at all
Where does the autumn change come from?
Direct answer. British Summer Time was introduced by the Summer Time Act 1916 to save fuel in wartime; the clocks have gone back to GMT each autumn ever since, apart from the 1968–71 experiment when the UK stayed on GMT+1 all year.
That experiment ended after a Commons vote, the Summer Time Act 1972 restored the twice-yearly change, and the Summer Time Order 2002 aligned the UK’s dates with the EU’s last-Sunday rule. The full history → · The case for and against changing the clocks →
Next spring: The clocks next go forward on Sunday 28 March 2027 at 01:00 GMT, when British Summer Time begins again. Clocks go forward →
Frequently asked questions
Do you lose or gain an hour when the clocks go back?
You gain an hour. At 02:00 BST the clocks go back to 01:00 GMT, so that Sunday lasts 25 hours and you get an extra hour in bed.
What time do the clocks go back?
At 02:00 BST, which becomes 01:00 GMT. It is always the last Sunday of October — Sunday 25 October 2026 this time.
Do the clocks go back tonight?
Only on the night of Saturday Saturday 24 October 2026 to Sunday Sunday 25 October 2026. The countdown at the top of this page shows exactly how long is left.
Do I need to change my phone when the clocks go back?
No. Phones, computers, tablets and smart speakers take the time from the network and change themselves. Ovens, microwaves, many cars, boiler and heating timers, analogue clocks and most watches need changing by hand.
Does it get darker earlier after the clocks go back?
Yes — by the clock, sunset jumps an hour earlier overnight. In London it moves from 17:49 on the Saturday to 16:47 on the Sunday, while sunrise moves from 07:39 to 06:41. Mornings get lighter, evenings darker.
Is the UK on GMT after the clocks go back?
Yes. From 01:00 on Sunday 25 October 2026 the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (UTC+0) until the clocks go forward again on Sunday 28 March 2027.
Do the clocks go back in Europe on the same night?
Yes. Every EU country ends summer time at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday of October — the same instant as the UK’s 02:00 BST — so the time difference to France, Spain, Germany and Ireland does not change.
Do the clocks go back in the USA on the same day?
No. The United States ends daylight saving time on the first Sunday of November — Sunday 1 November 2026. Between the two dates the UK is only four hours ahead of New York instead of five.
Reviewed and accurate as of Monday 7 September 2026. Future clock-change dates are fixed in UK law (the Summer Time Order 2002), so they can be calculated years ahead.
Sources & further reading
Clock-change dates come straight from the rule in UK law; sunrise and sunset times are calculated, not copied. Governments can amend time-zone law — confirm critical timing with an official source.
- GOV.UK — When do the clocks change?
- legislation.gov.uk — The Summer Time Order 2002
- legislation.gov.uk — Summer Time Act 1972
- EUR-Lex — Directive 2000/84/EC on summer-time arrangements
- NIST — Daylight saving time in the United States
- NOAA — Solar calculator (sunrise/sunset method)
- Royal Observatory Greenwich — UK time & BST