Current Time in Chicago, United States — Live Clock

Time zone facts for Chicago

IANA time zone: America/Chicago
Standard offset: UTC−6
Daylight saving: observed — the offset moves to UTC−5 while DST is active (the live clock above already reflects today's status).
January / July offset: UTC−6 / UTC−5
Offset as of September 2026: UTC−5 — daylight saving in effect
Next clock change: clocks go back 1 hour on Sunday, November 1, 2026 (local date), moving the offset from UTC−5 to UTC−6

How Chicago's offset moves through the year

Chicago keeps two offsets: UTC−6 in January and UTC−5 in July. The clocks move between them twice a year, and each move changes the difference between Chicago and every place that does not move at the same instant. As of September 2026, the offset is UTC−5, so daylight saving is in effect.

The coming cycle, derived from the IANA time zone database as of September 2026: the clocks next go back 1 hour on Sunday, November 1, 2026 (Chicago local date), taking the offset from UTC−5 to UTC−6. The change after that comes 133 days later, on Sunday, March 14, 2027, when the clocks go forward 1 hour and the offset returns from UTC−6 to UTC−5. Those 133 days are the standard-time part of the year for Chicago.

Read those two dates alongside the partner's dates for any city you work with. If the partner does not observe daylight saving, the gap to it changes on exactly these two dates. If it does, the gap changes only where the two calendars disagree — not at all when both sides switch at the same instants, otherwise on every date where one side has shifted and the other has not yet. The table below works that out for the reference cities.

Set against the reference cities, as of September 2026: Chicago's next change comes 7 days after London's (Sunday, October 25, 2026, London date) and 1 hour after New York's (Sunday, November 1, 2026, New York date). Tokyo has no change of its own scheduled within the next 15 months, so its gap to Chicago moves on Chicago's dates alone. Which city moves first is what shapes each of the mismatch windows set out below.

The gap to London, New York, and Tokyo across the year

The differences below were computed at build time by scanning the coming twelve months of the IANA time zone database for each pair, locating every instant at which either city changes its clocks, and reading the gap on each side of it. "As of September 2026" is the gap today; "over the year" is the full range the pair takes before the same month comes round again, from Chicago's point of view.

Chicago's difference from each reference city, as of September 2026. Derived from the IANA time zone database at build time.
Reference	Chicago is, as of September 2026	Over the coming year	Why
London	6 hours behind	5 hours behind to 6 hours behind	both change clocks, on different dates
New York	1 hour behind	the same time to 2 hours behind (3 distinct values)	both change clocks, hours apart
Tokyo	14 hours behind	14 hours behind to 15 hours behind	only Chicago changes its clocks

None of the three gaps holds still for the whole year. The mechanism in each case is set out below, with the exact instants at which the gap moves.

Chicago and London

As of September 2026, Chicago is 6 hours behind London. Both Chicago and London change their clocks, but not at the same instants. Between one side's transition and the other's, only one shift has happened, so the gap briefly holds a value it holds only inside these mismatch windows. The gap changes 4 times in the coming twelve months; the briefest such window lasts 7 days, from October 24, 2026 to November 1, 2026 (Chicago dates), during which Chicago is 5 hours behind London.

From Saturday, October 24, 2026 at 8:00 PM (Chicago time), when London changes clocks: Chicago is 5 hours behind London.
From Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1:00 AM (Chicago time), when Chicago changes clocks: Chicago is 6 hours behind London.
From Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 3:00 AM (Chicago time), when Chicago changes clocks: Chicago is 5 hours behind London.
From Saturday, March 27, 2027 at 8:00 PM (Chicago time), when London changes clocks: Chicago is 6 hours behind London.

Each of those windows is opened by one city's change and closed by the other's. The first, from October 24, 2026 to November 1, 2026 (Chicago dates), opens when London's clocks go back and closes 7 days later when Chicago's go back. In between, Chicago is on daylight time and London on standard time, so Chicago is 5 hours behind London against 6 hours behind on either side of it. The second, from March 14, 2027 to March 27, 2027 (Chicago dates), opens when Chicago's clocks go forward and closes 14 days later when London's go forward. In between, Chicago is on daylight time and London on standard time, so Chicago is 5 hours behind London against 6 hours behind on either side of it. Which city moves first differs from window to window, and the longest of them lasts 14 days.

Chicago and New York

As of September 2026, Chicago is 1 hour behind New York. Both Chicago and New York change their clocks, but not at the same instants — each of Chicago's changes falls within hours of New York's. Between one side's transition and the other's, only one shift has happened, so the gap briefly holds a value it holds only inside these mismatch windows. The gap changes 4 times in the coming twelve months; the briefest such window lasts 1 hour, from Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1:00 AM CDT to Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1:00 AM CST (Chicago time), during which Chicago is the same time as New York.

From Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1:00 AM CDT (Chicago time), when New York changes clocks: Chicago is the same time as New York.
From Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1:00 AM CST (Chicago time), when Chicago changes clocks: Chicago is 1 hour behind New York.
From Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 1:00 AM CST (Chicago time), when New York changes clocks: Chicago is 2 hours behind New York.
From Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 3:00 AM CDT (Chicago time), when Chicago changes clocks: Chicago is 1 hour behind New York.

Each of those windows is opened by one city's change and closed by the other's. The first, from Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1:00 AM CDT to Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1:00 AM CST (Chicago time), opens when New York's clocks go back and closes 1 hour later when Chicago's go back. In between, Chicago is on daylight time and New York on standard time, so Chicago is the same time as New York against 1 hour behind on either side of it. The second, from Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 1:00 AM CST to Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 3:00 AM CDT (Chicago time), opens when New York's clocks go forward and closes 1 hour later when Chicago's go forward. In between, New York is on daylight time and Chicago on standard time, so Chicago is 2 hours behind New York against 1 hour behind on either side of it. New York is the first to move in every window, and the longest of them lasts 1 hour.

Chicago and Tokyo

As of September 2026, Chicago is 14 hours behind Tokyo. Chicago changes its clocks for daylight saving and Tokyo does not. Each Chicago transition therefore moves the gap by the full size of that shift, and nothing ever moves it back except the next Chicago transition. The gap changes twice in the coming twelve months, always on Chicago's dates — Tokyo's calendar plays no part.

From Sunday, November 1, 2026 at 1:00 AM (Chicago time), when Chicago changes clocks: Chicago is 15 hours behind Tokyo.
From Sunday, March 14, 2027 at 3:00 AM (Chicago time), when Chicago changes clocks: Chicago is 14 hours behind Tokyo.

Ranked by how many of the 365 scanned days each gap spends at its most common value, from Chicago's point of view: New York 365 (1 hour behind), London 344 (6 hours behind), and Tokyo 232 (14 hours behind). The two kinds of movement are not alike. The gap to London changes 4 times in the year yet is away from its usual value for only 21 days in total, because each departure ends as soon as the other city catches up. The gap to Tokyo changes only twice, but each change stands until the next one, so it spends 133 days away from its most common value.

Working hours that overlap

Assume a 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM working day in Chicago and the same in each reference city. The overlap is then a plain consequence of the gap, and it changes whenever the gap does — so where a pair takes more than one gap during the year, both readings are given. As of September 2026:

London: 2 hours — 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM in Chicago, which is 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM in London. When Chicago is 5 hours behind London — the rest of the year — the overlap is 3 hours — 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM in Chicago, which is 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM in London.
New York: 7 hours — 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM in Chicago, which is 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM in New York. When Chicago is the same time as New York — at other times of the year — the overlap is 8 hours — 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM in Chicago, which is 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM in New York. When Chicago is 2 hours behind New York — at other times of the year — the overlap is 6 hours — 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM in Chicago, which is 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM in New York.
Tokyo: none at any gap the pair takes during the year — a 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM day in Chicago never meets a 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM day in Tokyo.

The 9-to-5 window is a convention, not a fact about anyone's hours. The Meeting Planner takes each participant's actual working hours and evaluates the overlap for the specific date, so a slot chosen in one season is still checked against the other side's clock in the next.

Chicago time — frequently asked questions

What time zone is Chicago in?

Chicago uses the IANA time zone America/Chicago. Its standard offset is UTC−6, moving to UTC−5 while daylight saving time is active.

Does Chicago observe daylight saving time?

Yes. The offset is UTC−6 in January and UTC−5 in July. As of September 2026, daylight saving is in effect and the offset is UTC−5.

When do the clocks next change in Chicago?

As of September 2026, the next scheduled change is: clocks go back 1 hour on Sunday, November 1, 2026 (local date), moving the offset from UTC−5 to UTC−6.

How does Chicago time compare with UTC, London, and New York?

As of September 2026, Chicago is on UTC−5 and 6 hours behind London and 1 hour behind New York. These differences shift whenever either side changes its clocks for daylight saving.

How far ahead of or behind New York is Chicago over the year?

As of September 2026, Chicago is 1 hour behind New York. Over the coming twelve months the difference ranges from the same time to 2 hours behind, changing 4 times, because both cities change their clocks, but not at the same instants. The dates of each change are listed on this page under "Chicago and New York".

Why does a standing meeting between Chicago and London move by 1 hour during the year?

It moves more often than that in this pairing. Both Chicago and London change their clocks, but not at the same instants, so the difference changes 4 times in the coming twelve months. Between one city's transition and the other's, a meeting sits 1 hour away from its usual slot on one side; the briefest such window in the coming year lasts 7 days. The exact instants are listed on this page under "Chicago and London".

Business-hours overlap

When it is 9:00 AM in Chicago (as of September 2026), it is 3:00 PM in London, 10:00 AM in New York, and 11:00 PM in Tokyo. These readings shift when any of the cities changes its clocks — the Meeting Planner computes the overlap for your exact date.

Zone-to-zone converter pages for Chicago

CST — Central Standard Time (North America). Chicago is the anchor city for CST on this site; the same zone is written CDT (Central Daylight Time) while daylight saving is active, and in everyday use "CST" means Chicago's time, whichever of CST/CDT is in force. The same letters also mean: China Standard Time; Cuba Standard Time. Each converter page states which meaning it uses.

CST to EST — US Central and US Eastern.

The one corridor anchored on CST, as of September 2026, leads to a zone whose switches fall within hours of Chicago's (EST), so the gap leaves its usual value for at most 1 hour at a time.

Convert a time for Chicago

Planning a call or a deadline? Use the Time Zone Converter to translate any date and time to or from Chicago — DST-correct for that exact date — or line up working hours side by side in the Meeting Planner. For the corridors people search for by abbreviation — IST to EST, IST to PST, IST to GMT and the rest — the zone-to-zone converter pages explain, pair by pair, whether the gap moves during the year and when.

Time in other major cities

Lima --:-- — Bogotá --:-- — Denver --:-- — Mexico City --:-- — São Paulo --:-- — Johannesburg --:-- — Cairo --:-- — Los Angeles --:-- —

Every city links to its own page like this one. For a dedicated full-page world clock, visit our sibling site, wrldclock.com.

All times are computed locally in your browser from its IANA time zone data and your device's clock — checked against our own server with an anonymous timestamp request where possible. Nothing you enter is transmitted. See the methodology page.