What is the difference between EST and EDT?

EDT is daylight saving time: clocks move forward one hour in spring. EST (UTC−5) applies from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March; EDT (UTC−4) applies the rest of the year.

When does EDT start and end?

In the US, daylight saving time starts at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday in March and ends at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday in November.

Is it EST or EDT right now?

Between mid-March and early November it is EDT; the rest of the year it is EST. Many people write “ET” (e.g. ET, CT) to mean whichever is currently in effect.

EDT to EST Time

Easily convert Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) to Eastern Standard Time (EST) to plan appointments, coordinate online classes, and manage work schedules while accounting for daylight saving adjustments.

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Updated Sep 2026

In short

EST is 1 hour behind EDT. EST (UTC−5) and EDT (UTC−4) are the winter and summer times of the same US region, so a clock showing 10:20 PM EDT reads 9:20 PM EST.

How it works

EDT and EST are the same place — US Eastern — at different times of year. EST is standard time, used from early November to mid-March; EDT is daylight saving time, used from mid-March to early November. They are exactly one hour apart.

Take the EDT time.
Subtract one hour.
That is the same moment written as EST.

Clocks go forward on the second Sunday in March at 2 a.m. local time and back on the first Sunday in November. On those two days one hour is skipped or repeated, which is why appointment times around 2 a.m. can look strange.

Writing “Eastern Time” or the city name avoids the problem entirely: it means whichever of the two is in force on that date. The converter above does that automatically.

Examples

The same moment, written both ways:

EDT and EST
EDT	EST
09:00	08:00
12:00	11:00
17:30	16:30
23:00	22:00

Only one of the two labels is correct on any given date, so a meeting invite in EDT during winter is usually a mistake for EST.

EDT to EST Time: frequently asked questions

What is the difference between EST and EDT?: EDT is daylight saving time: clocks move forward one hour in spring. EST (UTC−5) applies from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March; EDT (UTC−4) applies the rest of the year.
When does EDT start and end?: In the US, daylight saving time starts at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday in March and ends at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday in November.
Is it EST or EDT right now?: Between mid-March and early November it is EDT; the rest of the year it is EST. Many people write “ET” (e.g. ET, CT) to mean whichever is currently in effect.