What is the difference between PST and PDT?

PDT is daylight saving time: clocks move forward one hour in spring. PST (UTC−8) applies from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March; PDT (UTC−7) applies the rest of the year.

When does PDT 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 PST or PDT right now?

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

PST to PDT Time

Easily convert Pacific Standard Time (PST) to Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) to maintain accurate timing for virtual meetings, travel plans, and global collaborations during daylight saving time.

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Updated Sep 2026

In short

PDT is 1 hour ahead of PST. PST (UTC−8) and PDT (UTC−7) are the winter and summer times of the same US region, so a clock showing 10:20 PM PST reads 11:20 PM PDT.

How it works

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

Take the PST time.
Add one hour.
That is the same moment written as PDT.

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 “Pacific 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:

PST and PDT
PST	PDT
09:00	10:00
12:00	13:00
17:30	18:30
23:00	00:00 (next day)

Only one of the two labels is correct on any given date, so a meeting invite in PST during summer is usually a mistake for PDT.

PST to PDT Time: frequently asked questions

What is the difference between PST and PDT?: PDT is daylight saving time: clocks move forward one hour in spring. PST (UTC−8) applies from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March; PDT (UTC−7) applies the rest of the year.
When does PDT 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 PST or PDT right now?: Between mid-March and early November it is PDT; the rest of the year it is PST. Many people write “PT” (e.g. ET, CT) to mean whichever is currently in effect.