How Eastern and Pacific time line up
Take the Eastern time and subtract three hours. The gap stays the same all year, because both zones move their clocks on the same nights. Here are the times people look up most:
- 9:00 AM Eastern is 6:00 AM Pacific.
- 12:00 PM (noon) Eastern is 9:00 AM Pacific.
- 1:00 PM Eastern is 10:00 AM Pacific.
- 3:00 PM Eastern is 12:00 PM (noon) Pacific.
- 6:00 PM Eastern is 3:00 PM Pacific.
- 12:00 AM (midnight) Eastern is 9:00 PM Pacific the evening before.
Where the two zones are used
Eastern Time covers the East Coast, from New York, Boston and Washington, D.C. down to Atlanta and Miami. It also covers Detroit, most of Indiana and Ohio, and Toronto and Montreal in Canada.
Pacific Time covers California, Washington, Oregon and most of Nevada, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Las Vegas, plus Vancouver in Canada.
Planning calls from coast to coast
A normal 9 to 5 workday only overlaps for five hours: 12 PM to 5 PM Eastern is 9 AM to 2 PM Pacific. The green marks in the table show those shared office hours.
An early Eastern meeting is very early out West. A 9 AM Eastern call starts at 6 AM Pacific, so late morning or early afternoon Eastern time is usually the kindest choice.
EST, EDT, PST and PDT
EST and PST are the winter names, used from early November to mid-March. In summer the zones switch to EDT and PDT. Right now the clocks show EDT and PDT. The converter always uses the right one for the date you pick.
Questions and answers
What is 1 PM Eastern in Pacific time?
1:00 PM Eastern Time is 10:00 AM Pacific Time. Pacific is always 3 hours behind Eastern.
Is Eastern Time 3 hours ahead of Pacific?
Yes. Eastern Time is 3 hours ahead of Pacific Time all year, because both zones start and end daylight saving time on the same dates.
What is 9 AM Eastern in Pacific time?
9:00 AM Eastern is 6:00 AM Pacific. A noon meeting in New York starts at 9:00 AM in Los Angeles.
Is EST the same as ET?
Not quite. ET, Eastern Time, is the name of the zone. EST is its winter time, five hours behind GMT. In summer it uses EDT, four hours behind GMT. Right now Eastern Time is on EDT.
When do the clocks change in Eastern and Pacific time?
Both zones spring forward one hour at 2:00 AM on the second Sunday in March and fall back one hour at 2:00 AM on the first Sunday in November.