When do the clocks go forward?
Sunday 28 March 2027
The clocks go forward one hour at 01:00 GMT on Sunday 28 March 2027, becoming 02:00 BST. That starts British Summer Time: you lose an hour of sleep on the night of Saturday 27 March, and evenings gain an hour of daylight.
| Year | Clocks go forward — last Sunday of March, 01:00 GMT |
|---|---|
| 2026 | Sunday 29 March 2026 |
| 2027 | Sunday 28 March 2027 |
| 2028 | Sunday 26 March 2028 |
| 2029 | Sunday 25 March 2029 |
| 2030 | Sunday 31 March 2030 |
| 2031 | Sunday 30 March 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 spring change, explained
What happens when the clocks spring forward?
Direct answer. At 01:00 GMT on the last Sunday of March, UK clocks move straight to 02:00 BST. The hour between 01:00 and 02:00 does not exist that night, the day is 23 hours long, and from then on the UK is on British Summer Time (UTC+1).
The rule comes from the Summer Time Act 1972 and the Summer Time Order 2002 and applies across the whole UK at the same instant. Because it is fixed in law, the dates in the table above are certain years ahead.
Key fact: Spring forward = lose one hour. 01:00 GMT becomes 02:00 BST on the last Sunday of March.
Why 1am, and why a Sunday?
Direct answer. One in the morning is when the fewest people are working, travelling or running timed processes, and jumping from 01:00 to 02:00 keeps the change inside a single calendar day.
A Sunday gives most people a day to adjust before the working week. Anything scheduled between 01:00 and 02:00 that night — an alarm, a timer, a train — needs checking, because that hour is skipped.
Key fact: The 01:00–02:00 hour is skipped. Alarms set inside it fire at 02:00 BST or not at all, depending on the device.
What time does it get light and dark after the clocks go forward?
Direct answer. By the clock, sunset arrives an hour later from the Sunday. In London that means dusk at about 19:26 instead of 18:24 the day before; sunrise moves from 05:48 to 06:45.
The day itself is no longer — the same daylight is moved from the early morning, when most people are asleep, to the evening. Mornings are darker for a few weeks until the lengthening days catch up.
| City | Sunrise Sat 27 Mar | Sunset Sat 27 Mar | Sunrise Sun 28 Mar | Sunset Sun 28 Mar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | 05:48 | 18:24 | 06:45 | 19:26 |
| Edinburgh | 05:57 | 18:40 | 06:54 | 19:42 |
| Cardiff | 06:00 | 18:37 | 06:58 | 19:38 |
| Belfast | 06:09 | 18:50 | 07:06 | 19:51 |
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.
Sleep, Europe and the USA
Is losing an hour bad for you?
Direct answer. A little, for a few days. A 2024 peer-reviewed meta-analysis found about a 4% rise in heart attacks in the days after the spring change and no significant change in autumn; the likely cause is short-term sleep and body-clock disruption.
Single hospital studies have reported much larger jumps, but pooling many studies brings the effect down to around 4% — real, but small. The evidence on health, road safety and energy →
Do the clocks go forward in Europe the same night?
Direct answer. Yes. EU law (Directive 2000/84/EC) starts summer time in every member state at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday of March — the same moment as the UK.
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 move their clocks forward on the second Sunday of March — Sunday 14 March 2027 — under the US Energy Policy Act 2005, two or three weeks before the UK.
Until the UK follows on Sunday 28 March 2027, the UK is one hour closer to North America than usual: four hours ahead of New York and Toronto instead of five, and seven ahead of Los Angeles instead of eight. The UK-to-New York converter handles this automatically for any date.
Key fact: USA and Canada: second Sunday of March. UK and EU: last Sunday of March. Australia goes the other way — its clocks go back in early April.
Why the clocks go forward at all
Where does the spring change come from?
Direct answer. William Willett campaigned for it from 1907; the Summer Time Act 1916 introduced it to save fuel in wartime, and apart from the 1968–71 experiment with year-round GMT+1 the clocks have gone forward every spring since.
The Summer Time Act 1972 restored the twice-yearly change after that experiment, and the Summer Time Order 2002 fixed the current last-Sunday-of-March start. The full history →
Next autumn: The clocks next go back on Sunday 31 October 2027 at 02:00 BST, when British Summer Time ends. Clocks go back →
Frequently asked questions
Do you lose or gain an hour when the clocks go forward?
You lose an hour. At 01:00 GMT the clocks jump to 02:00 BST, so that Sunday is 23 hours long and you get an hour less sleep.
What time do the clocks go forward?
At 01:00 GMT, which immediately becomes 02:00 BST. It is always the last Sunday of March — Sunday 28 March 2027 next.
Do the clocks go forward tonight?
Only on the night of Saturday Saturday 27 March 2027 to Sunday Sunday 28 March 2027. The countdown at the top of this page counts down to the exact moment.
Do I need to change my phone when the clocks go forward?
No. Phones, computers and anything that takes its time from a network change automatically at 01:00. Ovens, microwaves, many cars, heating timers, analogue clocks and most watches need changing by hand.
Does it stay lighter in the evening after the clocks go forward?
Yes — by the clock, sunset jumps an hour later overnight. In London it moves from 18:24 on the Saturday to 19:26 on the Sunday, while sunrise moves from 05:48 to 06:45.
Is the UK on BST after the clocks go forward?
Yes. From 02:00 on Sunday 28 March 2027 the UK is on British Summer Time (UTC+1) until the clocks go back on Sunday 31 October 2027.
Do the clocks go forward in Europe on the same night?
Yes. Every EU country starts summer time at 01:00 UTC on the last Sunday of March — the same instant as the UK — so the difference to France, Spain, Germany and Ireland does not change.
Do the clocks go forward in the USA on the same day?
No. The United States moves its clocks forward on the second Sunday of March — Sunday 14 March 2027 — two or three weeks before the UK. Until the UK catches up, it 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