Eastern Standard Time – EST Time Zone (2024)

Also known as: Eastern Time (ET) and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)

Caution: This is NOT the current local time in most locations in that time zone

North America, Caribbean: Only some locations are currently on EST because most places in this time zone are currently on summer time / daylight saving time and are observing EDT.

Eastern Standard Time – EST Time Zone (1)

Eastern Standard Time (EST) is 5 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). This time zone is in use during standard time in: North America, Caribbean, Central America.

See full time zone map

What Is Eastern Standard Time?

Eastern Standard Time (EST) is the easternmost time zone in the United States. It is also used in Canada.

It covers all or parts of 23 states in the US and three provinces or territories in Canada. It is also used in Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central America.

Almost half of the population in the USA live in the EST time zone. It spans from northern Canada and south to Panama near the equator.

In North America, Eastern Standard Time shares a border with Atlantic Standard Time (AST) in the east and with Central Standard Time (CST) in the west.

Eastern Standard Time Zone

Eastern Standard Time (EST) is a standard time zone in use from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March—when Daylight Saving Time (DST) is not in effect. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) is used during the remainder of the year.

EST Is the Eastern Time Zone

In everyday usage, EST is often referred to as Eastern Time (ET) or the Eastern Time Zone. This can add a bit of confusion as the term Eastern Time does not differentiate between standard time and Daylight Saving Time, so Eastern Time switches between EST and EDT in areas that use DST during part of the year.

Most North American time zones also have generic terms, including Pacific Time (PT), Mountain Time (MT), Central Time (CT), and Atlantic Time (AT).

Converting Eastern Time to Other US Time Zones

  • Eastern Standard Time (EST) is 1 hour ahead of Central Standard Time (CST).
    To convert EST to CST, you have to subtract one hour.
  • Eastern Standard Time (EST) is 2 hours ahead of Mountain Standard Time (MST).
    To convert EST to MST, you have to subtract two hours.
  • Eastern Standard Time (EST) is 3 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time (PST).
    To convert EST to PST, you have to subtract three hours.

Time Zone Converter: UTC to EST

Where and When is EST Observed?

North America

US states using EST in the winter and EDT in the summer:

  • Connecticut
  • Delaware
  • District of Columbia
  • Florida - Southern/Eastern parts Show

    except Bay, Calhoun, Escambia, Holmes, Jackson, Okaloosa, Santa Rosa, Walton and Washington counties and norther Gulf county - look in CST/CDT

  • Georgia
  • Indiana - all except for these north-western counties near Chicago (Lake, Porter, La Porte, Newton, Jasper, Starke) and these south-western counties in Indiana near Evansville Show

    Gibson, Posey, Vanderburgh, Warrick, Perry

  • Kentucky - eastern parts Show

    counties of Anderson, Bath, Bell, Boone, Bourbon, Boyd, Boyle, Bracken, Breathitt, Bullitt, Campbell, Carroll, Carter, Casey, Clark, Clay, Elliott, Estill, Fayette, Fleming, Floyd, Franklin, Gallatin, Garrard, Grant, Greenup, Hancock, Hansock, Hardin, Harlan, Harrison, Henry, Jackson, Jefferson, Jessamine, Johnson, Kenton, Knott, Knox, Larue, Laurel, Lawrence, Lee, Leslie, Letcher, Lewis, Lincoln, Madison, Magoffin, Marion, Martin, Mason, McCreary, Meade, Menifee, Mercer, Montgomery, Morgan, Nelson, Nicholas, Oldham, Owen, Owsley, Pendleton, Perry, Pike, Powell, Pulaski, Robertson, Rockcastle, Rowan, Scott, Shelby, Spencer, Taylor, Trimble, Washington, Wayne, Whitley, Wolfe, Woodford

  • Maine
  • Maryland
  • Massachusetts
  • Michigan - most except these western counties Show

    Dickinson, Gogebic, Iron, and Menominee - which are on CST/CDT

  • New Hampshire
  • New Jersey
  • New York
  • North Carolina
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • Rhode Island
  • South Carolina
  • Tennessee - eastern counties Show

    Anderson, Blount, Bradley, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Greene, Hamblen, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Jefferson, Johnson, Knox, Loudon, McMinn, Meigs, Monroe, Morgan, Polk, Rhea, Roane, Scott, Sevier, Sullivan, Unicoi, Union, and Washington

  • Vermont
  • Virginia
  • West Virginia

Canadian provinces/territories using EST in the winter and EDT in the summer:

  • Nunavut - most of it Show

    except Kugluktuk, Cambridge Bay - CST/CDT and Southampton Island (Coral Harbor) EST all year

  • Ontario - most parts east of 90 West and two communities west of 90 West Show

    Shebandowan, Upsala

  • Quebec - most of it Show

    except East of 63 West, Blanc Sablon which observe AST all year

Canadian provinces/territories using EST all year:

  • Nunavut - Southampton Island only (Coral Harbour)

Mexican states using EST all year:

  • Quintana Roo

Caribbean

Caribbean countries using EST in the winter and EDT in the summer:

  • Bahamas
  • Haiti

Caribbean countries using EST all year:

  • Cayman Islands
  • Jamaica

Central America

Central American countries using EST all year:

  • Panama

Other Eastern Standard Time Zones

Time zones can have similar names and abbreviations but have a different UTC offset:

  • Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST): UTC +10
  • Eastern Africa Time (EAT): UTC +3
  • Eastern European Time (EET): UTC +2
  • East Greenland Time (EGT): UTC -1

Other Time Zones in UTC -5

Some time zones exist that have the same offset as EST, but can be found under a different name:

  • ACT – Acre Time
  • CDT – Central Daylight Time
  • CIST – Cayman Islands Standard Time
  • COT – Colombia Time
  • CST – Cuba Standard Time
  • EASST – Easter Island Summer Time
  • ECT – Ecuador Time
  • PET – Peru Time
  • R – Romeo Time Zone
Eastern Standard Time – EST Time Zone (2024)

FAQs

Eastern Standard Time – EST Time Zone? ›

The Eastern Time Zone is also known as Eastern Standard Time (EST) falls mostly along the east coast of North America. Its time offset

time offset
The UTC offset (or time offset) is an amount of time subtracted from or added to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) time to specify the local solar time (which may not be the current civil time, whether it is standard time or daylight saving time).
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › UTC_offset
is −5 hours (UTC/GMT -5) during standard time and −4 hours (UTC/GMT -4) during daylight saving time.

What is the current time EST EST? ›

03:10:46 P.M.

Is Eastern Standard Time EST or ET? ›

ET stands for Eastern Time. It's a catch-all term that refers to EST or EDT, whichever currently applies. If you're in an area that observes Daylight Saving Time and you're not sure whether to use EDT or EST, it's always safe to use ET. ET refers to EST when EST is the local time and EDT when EDT is the local time.

Where is the EST time zone line? ›

The second zone, the eastern standard time zone, includes that part of the United States that is west of 67°30″ W. longitude and east of the boundary line described in § 71.5, and includes all of the State of Maine, but does not include any part of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

Is EST same as New York time? ›

Eastern Standard Time is 1 hour behind New York. Press any time in the table below to open and share the event time page.

Which state is EST in usa? ›

There are 22 states in the Eastern time zone: Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, North Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Michigan, Tennessee, Florida, Indiana and Kentucky.

What time zone is 3 hours ahead of EST? ›

Fernando de Noronha Time (FNT), which is three hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Locations: Fernando de Noronha and other islands far from the coast in the Atlantic Ocean. The difference is four hours ahead of Central Standard Time (minus two hours in comparison to Coordinated Universal Time).

What time zone is EST in numbers? ›

TIME ZONES (EAST TO WEST)
TIME ZONECONVERSION
eastern standard timee.s.t.(+5=UTC)
eastern daylight timee.d.t.(+4=UTC)
central standard timec.s.t.(+6=UTC)
central daylight timec.d.t(+5=UTC)
4 more rows

Which city has EST time zone? ›

The EST Time Zone Major Cities in EST Time Zone

In fact, most people think about the United States when they hear EST time. And they are not wrong to do so: notable examples of large cities in the US include New York City, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Florida, New Jersey, Atlanta, Baltimore, Buffalo, and Cleveland.

Are we currently in EDT or EST? ›

EST time now in USA.

What is EST time now in New York? ›

Eastern Time in New York
Time Zone Abbreviation & NameCurrent Time
ETEastern TimeSat, 1:18:32 pm

What time is 1pm EST where I am? ›

Getting Started
Eastern Standard Time (EST) to Los Angeles, California ( in Los Angeles)
1 pm ESTis10 am in Los Angeles
2 pm ESTis11 am in Los Angeles
3 pm ESTis12 pm in Los Angeles
4 pm ESTis1 pm in Los Angeles
8 more rows

Is Florida on CST or EST? ›

Most of Florida is in the Eastern Time Zone (UTC−05:00, DST UTC−04:00). The following parts of the Florida panhandle in northwest Florida are in the Central Time Zone (UTC−06:00, DST UTC−05:00): Bay County, 2010 population 168,852.

What time is EST in Central? ›

EST to CST Chart
EST TimeCST Time
11:00 am EST10:00 am CST
12:00 pm EST (noon)11:00 am CST
01:00 pm EST12:00 pm CST (noon)
02:00 pm EST01:00 pm CST
20 more rows

What is EST in Florida? ›

There are two generic time zones observed in Florida: Eastern Time (ET) and Central Time (CT). The southern and eastern parts of Florida observe Eastern Standard Time (EST) during standard time and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) during Daylight Saving Time (DST).

What is EDT right now? ›

What time is it in Eastern Daylight Time (North America) now? It is 17:43:58 right now.

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