PST to EST
Eastern Time is 3 hours ahead of Pacific Time. Enter a Pacific time to see what it is on the East Coast.
PST to EST in one line
Add 3 hours. 9:00 AM in Los Angeles is 12:00 noon in New York. The gap is the same in winter and summer, because both coasts change their clocks on the same nights.
PST to EST conversion table
| Pacific Time | Eastern Time |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM (midnight) | 3:00 AM |
| 1:00 AM | 4:00 AM |
| 2:00 AM | 5:00 AM |
| 3:00 AM | 6:00 AM |
| 4:00 AM | 7:00 AM |
| 5:00 AM | 8:00 AM |
| 6:00 AM | 9:00 AM |
| 7:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| 8:00 AM | 11:00 AM |
| 9:00 AM | 12:00 PM |
| 10:00 AM | 1:00 PM |
| 11:00 AM | 2:00 PM |
| 12:00 PM (noon) | 3:00 PM |
| 1:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
| 2:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| 3:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
| 4:00 PM | 7:00 PM |
| 5:00 PM | 8:00 PM |
| 6:00 PM | 9:00 PM |
| 7:00 PM | 10:00 PM |
| 8:00 PM | 11:00 PM |
| 9:00 PM | 12:00 AM, next day |
| 10:00 PM | 1:00 AM, next day |
| 11:00 PM | 2:00 AM, next day |
PST, PDT, EST and EDT
The letters change with the season, which causes more confusion than the arithmetic.
| Period | Pacific | Eastern | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard time, early November to mid March | PST, UTC−8 | EST, UTC−5 | 3 hours |
| Daylight time, mid March to early November | PDT, UTC−7 | EDT, UTC−4 | 3 hours |
In 2026, daylight time runs from Sunday 8 March to Sunday 1 November. People say “PST” and “EST” all year round, but in summer the correct names are PDT and EDT. If you are not sure which applies, write PT and ET, which are right in every season.
The converter above uses the date you enter, so it shows the correct letters and handles the two changeover nights, when for a few hours the gap is briefly 2 or 4 hours.
Times people often need
| What | Pacific | Eastern |
|---|---|---|
| US stock markets open | 6:30 AM | 9:30 AM |
| US stock markets close | 1:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
| Start of an East Coast working day | 6:00 AM | 9:00 AM |
| End of a West Coast working day | 5:00 PM | 8:00 PM |
| Evening TV listed as “8/7c” | 8:00 PM, shown on a delay | 8:00 PM |
Scheduling across the two coasts
If both offices work 9 to 5, the hours they share are 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM Pacific, which is 12:00 noon to 5:00 PM Eastern. A meeting at 10:00 AM Pacific, 1:00 PM Eastern, falls comfortably inside both days and clears the East Coast lunch hour.
When you send an invitation, state both: “1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT”. It removes any doubt, and most calendar apps will convert it for each person anyway.
Where these zones are used
Pacific Time: California, Washington, most of Oregon and Nevada, and in Canada most of British Columbia. Eastern Time: the East Coast from Maine to Florida, including New York, Washington DC, Atlanta and Miami, most of Michigan and Indiana, and in Canada most of Ontario and Quebec.
For other zones, use the time zone converter. For Central Time, see CST to EST.
Questions
How many hours ahead is EST of PST?
Three. Eastern Time is 3 hours ahead of Pacific Time throughout the year.
What is 9 AM PST in EST?
12:00 noon. Add 3 hours to any Pacific time to get the Eastern time.
What is 5 PM PST in EST?
8:00 PM Eastern on the same day.
Is it PST or PDT right now?
Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) applies from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, and Pacific Standard Time (PST) for the rest of the year. The clocks at the top of this page show the correct label for today.
Does the 3 hour difference ever change?
Only for a few hours twice a year. Clocks change at 2 AM local time, so the East Coast switches 3 hours before the West Coast does. In between, the gap is 4 hours in March and 2 hours in November.