UTC to EST
Eastern Standard Time is 5 hours behind UTC, and Eastern Daylight Time is 4 hours behind. Enter a UTC time and date to get the exact Eastern time.
UTC to EST in one line
Subtract 5 hours in winter and 4 hours in summer. UTC never changes. Eastern Time moves an hour forward for daylight time, so it sits closer to UTC in summer.
| When | Eastern Time is | Offset |
|---|---|---|
| Early November to mid March | EST, Eastern Standard Time | UTC−5 |
| Mid March to early November | EDT, Eastern Daylight Time | UTC−4 |
In 2026, daylight time in the United States runs from Sunday 8 March to Sunday 1 November.
UTC to EST conversion table
| UTC | Eastern, winter (EST) | Eastern, summer (EDT) |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM (midnight) | 7:00 PM, previous day | 8:00 PM, previous day |
| 1:00 AM | 8:00 PM, previous day | 9:00 PM, previous day |
| 2:00 AM | 9:00 PM, previous day | 10:00 PM, previous day |
| 3:00 AM | 10:00 PM, previous day | 11:00 PM, previous day |
| 4:00 AM | 11:00 PM, previous day | 12:00 AM |
| 5:00 AM | 12:00 AM | 1:00 AM |
| 6:00 AM | 1:00 AM | 2:00 AM |
| 7:00 AM | 2:00 AM | 3:00 AM |
| 8:00 AM | 3:00 AM | 4:00 AM |
| 9:00 AM | 4:00 AM | 5:00 AM |
| 10:00 AM | 5:00 AM | 6:00 AM |
| 11:00 AM | 6:00 AM | 7:00 AM |
| 12:00 PM (noon) | 7:00 AM | 8:00 AM |
| 1:00 PM | 8:00 AM | 9:00 AM |
| 2:00 PM | 9:00 AM | 10:00 AM |
| 3:00 PM | 10:00 AM | 11:00 AM |
| 4:00 PM | 11:00 AM | 12:00 PM |
| 5:00 PM | 12:00 PM | 1:00 PM |
| 6:00 PM | 1:00 PM | 2:00 PM |
| 7:00 PM | 2:00 PM | 3:00 PM |
| 8:00 PM | 3:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
| 9:00 PM | 4:00 PM | 5:00 PM |
| 10:00 PM | 5:00 PM | 6:00 PM |
| 11:00 PM | 6:00 PM | 7:00 PM |
UTC, GMT and Zulu
For everyday purposes UTC and GMT show the same time, and “Zulu” or a trailing letter Z means UTC as well. So 14:00 UTC, 14:00 GMT and 14:00Z are one and the same moment.
One caution: GMT is not the same as “UK time”. The United Kingdom moves to British Summer Time, an hour ahead of GMT, from late March to late October. In those months London is on UTC+1, and a time given as “London time” needs the time zone converter, not this page.
Reading timestamps
Server logs, flight plans, weather reports and many apps record times in UTC so that everyone reads the same value. The usual format is ISO 8601.
| Timestamp | Means | Eastern Time |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-15T14:00:00Z | 14:00 UTC on 15 January | 9:00 AM EST |
| 2026-07-15T14:00:00Z | 14:00 UTC on 15 July | 10:00 AM EDT |
| 2026-07-15T02:30:00Z | 02:30 UTC on 15 July | 10:30 PM EDT on 14 July |
| 2026-01-15T14:00:00-05:00 | Already Eastern Standard Time | 2:00 PM EST |
The third row shows the catch: early morning in UTC is still the evening before in the Eastern zone. Always carry the date across with the time.
Times announced in UTC
Online events, game releases and maintenance windows are often given in UTC. 00:00 UTC, the start of the UTC day, is 7:00 PM the previous evening EST or 8:00 PM the previous evening EDT. 12:00 UTC is 7:00 AM EST or 8:00 AM EDT.
Questions
Is EST UTC−5 or UTC−4?
EST, Eastern Standard Time, is UTC−5. In summer the Eastern zone uses EDT, Eastern Daylight Time, which is UTC−4.
What is 12:00 UTC in EST?
7:00 AM EST. During daylight time it is 8:00 AM EDT.
What is 18:00 UTC in EST?
1:00 PM EST. During daylight time it is 2:00 PM EDT.
What is 00:00 UTC in EST?
7:00 PM, previous day. During daylight time it is 8:00 PM, previous day.
Is GMT the same as UTC?
For reading a clock, yes. UTC is the modern standard kept by atomic clocks, and GMT is the older name based on the sun at Greenwich. They differ by less than a second.