What is EST?
EST stands for Eastern Standard Time. Its offset from UTC is UTC-5, 5 hours behind UTC.
EST is the winter time of the eastern United States and Canada, five hours behind UTC.
In summer most of these places move to EDT (UTC-4). Panama, Jamaica and Cancun stay on EST all year.
Where EST is used
Eastern United States and Canada in winter. The table shows examples, not every place. Entries in bold are on EST at that moment.
| Place | Mid-January 2026 | Mid-July 2026 | Now |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | EST (UTC-5) | EDT (UTC-4) | EST (UTC-5) |
| Toronto | EST (UTC-5) | EDT (UTC-4) | EST (UTC-5) |
| Detroit | EST (UTC-5) | EDT (UTC-4) | EST (UTC-5) |
| Indianapolis | EST (UTC-5) | EDT (UTC-4) | EST (UTC-5) |
| Panama | EST (UTC-5) | EST (UTC-5) | EST (UTC-5) |
| Jamaica | EST (UTC-5) | EST (UTC-5) | EST (UTC-5) |
| Cancun | EST (UTC-5) | EST (UTC-5) | EST (UTC-5) |
See EDT, the matching summer time.
Time difference between EST and other cities
| City | Compared with EST, now | Changes in the next 12 months |
|---|---|---|
| New York City | Same time | Sun 14 Mar 2027, 07:00 UTC: 1 hour ahead |
| Los Angeles | 3 hours behind | Sun 14 Mar 2027, 10:00 UTC: 2 hours behind |
| London | 5 hours ahead | Sun 28 Mar 2027, 01:00 UTC: 6 hours ahead Sun 31 Oct 2027, 01:00 UTC: 5 hours ahead |
| Dubai | 9 hours ahead | No change |
| Mumbai | 10 hours 30 minutes ahead | No change |
| Singapore | 13 hours ahead | No change |
| Tokyo | 14 hours ahead | No change |
| Sydney | 16 hours ahead | Sat 3 Apr 2027, 16:00 UTC: 15 hours ahead Sat 2 Oct 2027, 16:00 UTC: 16 hours ahead |
A gap changes when the two places change their clocks on different dates. Dates are in UTC.
Working hours that overlap with EST
When it is 09:00 to 17:00 in EST, where is it also a working day (09:00 to 17:00)? This uses today’s clock settings, so check the meeting planner for weeks when clocks change.
| City | Shared working hours |
|---|---|
| New York City | 09:00 to 17:00 in EST (09:00 to 17:00 in New York City) |
| Los Angeles | 12:00 to 17:00 in EST (09:00 to 14:00 in Los Angeles) |
| London | 09:00 to 12:00 in EST (14:00 to 17:00 in London) |
| Dubai | No shared working hours |
| Mumbai | No shared working hours |
| Singapore | No shared working hours |
| Tokyo | No shared working hours |
| Sydney | No shared working hours |