We have nearly made it through the brutal winter and this weekend it’s time to “spring forward” by turning the clocks ahead for the daylight saving 2026 time change.
Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8 when clocks “spring forward” and reset to 3 a.m. and it ends 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, when clocks “fall back” and reset to 1 a.m.
Changing the clocks forward or backward an hour is an effort to extend daylight hours seasonally. Most states participate, though some argue that the practice should be brought to an end.
President Trump has in the past urged members of Congress to make daylight saving time permanent, saying he would work to end daylight saving time to make standard time permanent.
Daylight saving time means later sunrises and sunsets, allowing for more time for outdoor activities after work in the evenings. Standard time means earlier sunrises and sunsets, which some argue increase safety in the mornings for school children and is more in line with our biological circadian rhythms, according to savestandardtime.
Daylight saving time lasts approximately eight months, starting on the second Sunday of March and ending on the first Sunday of November. You lose an hour in the spring, but gain an hour of daylight for nice weather activities outdoors.
When do we set the clocks ahead this year?
The time change is to occur on the night of March 7.
Daylight saving time begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 8 at which time clocks “spring forward” and reset to 3 a.m. and it ends 2 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 1, at which time clocks “fall back” and reset to 1 a.m.
Do we lose an hour or gain an hour for daylight saving time?
In the spring, clocks spring forward one hour. You will have lost an hour when you awake that morning.
In the fall, clocks fall back one hour. You will gain an extra hour of potential sleep or play.
When does daylight saving time end in 2026?
Daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday of November each year. This year the clocks are to fall back an hour on Sunday, Nov. 1.
When is the first day of spring 2026?
The first day of spring or spring equinox in the Northern Hemisphere is to occur Friday, March 20 at 10:46 a.m.
The spring equinox, also known as the vernal equinox, is the moment when the sun crosses the celestial equator, marking the start of astronomical spring in the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in nearly equal hours of day and night globally due to the Earth’s axial tilt.
Why do we change the clocks every year?
According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, the idea behind daylight saving time was meant to give us more daylight during the summer evenings and then move it back to give us more daylight during winter mornings.
When does daylight saving time end permanently?
Daylight saving has not been made permanent, nor is it ending as of yet, although the push to make it permanent has been floated multiple times.
The Sunshine Protection Act passed the Senate in 2022, but stalled in the House. It was reintroduced in 2025 but has not passed.
Pennsylvania legislature introduced a bill in 2023 to establish year-round daylight saving time but it never passed. More recently in March, they passed a Senate resolution calling on the U.S. Congress to end the outdated practice of changing the clocks twice a year. They are one of 29 states thus far, that have introduced legislation to stop the clock changes.
