The complete guide to scheduling between London (GMT/BST) and New York (EST/EDT) — with exact overlap windows, 2026 DST dates, and a one-click overlap visualizer.
Quick Answer
Best meeting time: 2:00–4:00 PM London (GMT) / 9:00–11:00 AM New York (EST) in winter. During US summer (EDT): 1:00–5:00 PM London (BST) / 9:00 AM–12:00 PM New York (EDT).
London is 5 hours ahead of New York during US Eastern Standard Time (EST, roughly November to mid-March), and 4 hours ahead during US Eastern Daylight Time (EDT, roughly mid-March to November).
The difference changes because the US and UK switch to Daylight Saving Time on different dates — and during the transitional weeks between those dates (once in spring, once in autumn), the gap briefly becomes 4 hours even before you'd expect it to.
| Period | London time | New York time | Overlap hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 – Mar 8 (both on standard time) | 2:00 – 5:00 PM GMT | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST | 3 hours |
| Mar 8 – Mar 29 (US on EDT, UK still on GMT) | 1:00 – 5:00 PM GMT | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM EDT | 4 hours |
| Mar 29 – Oct 25 (both on summer time) | 2:00 – 6:00 PM BST | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM EDT | 4 hours |
| Oct 25 – Nov 2 (UK back to GMT, US still EDT) | 1:00 – 5:00 PM GMT | 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM EDT | 4 hours |
| Nov 2 – Dec 31 (both on standard time) | 2:00 – 5:00 PM GMT | 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM EST | 3 hours |
Dates are approximate for 2026. US DST: clocks spring forward on the second Sunday of March (March 8) and fall back on the first Sunday of November (November 1). UK BST: clocks change on the last Sunday of March (March 29) and the last Sunday of October (October 25).
See the exact overlap for any specific date — including DST transitions.
Open London ↔ New York in SyncZones →Best: 2:00–2:30 PM London / 9:00–9:30 AM New York (winter) or 1:30–2:00 PM London BST / 9:30–10:00 AM New York EDT (summer). This lands at the start of the overlap window — fresh for New York, still well within London's afternoon.
Best: 3:00–4:00 PM London / 10:00–11:00 AM New York. This sits in the middle of the overlap and avoids the post-lunch dip in London. New York participants are past morning emails but not yet in their afternoon crunch.
Best: 2:00–4:00 PM London / 9:00–11:00 AM New York in winter. Start earlier in summer when the window is 4 hours wide — a 10:00 AM–12:00 PM London / 9:00–11:00 AM New York block works well for this. Avoid scheduling long sessions that run into 5 PM London — people with commitments will drop off.
5:00 PM London / 12:00 PM New York — technically within business hours for both, but London participants are at the very end of their day. They are less focused and more likely to be unavailable. Reserve this slot only for genuinely urgent matters.
The single most common source of calendar confusion for London–New York teams is the spring transition period. In 2026, the US switches to EDT on March 8 but the UK doesn't switch to BST until March 29. During the 3 weeks between these dates, the London–New York gap shrinks from 5 hours to 4 hours — and your recurring meetings shift by 1 hour without any calendar warning.
The same thing happens in reverse in autumn: the UK moves back to GMT on October 25 but the US doesn't change until November 2 in 2026. During that 8-day window, the gap expands from 4 hours back to 5.
During winter (standard time): 2:00–4:00 PM London GMT / 9:00–11:00 AM New York EST. During summer: 2:00–5:00 PM London BST / 9:00 AM–12:00 PM New York EDT. For a specific date, check the live visualizer.
When it's 3:00 PM in London: it's 10:00 AM in New York during winter (EST, UTC−5) and 11:00 AM in New York during summer (EDT, UTC−4). London switches to BST (UTC+1) at the end of March, which effectively shifts the gap by 1 hour from the UK side.
London is 5 hours ahead of New York during winter and 4 hours ahead during summer. The difference varies depending on which DST transition has most recently happened for each city.
Get the exact overlap window for London and New York — any date, including DST transitions.
Open London ↔ New York in SyncZones →