Time-zone abbreviation
EST — Eastern Standard Time (UTC−5)
EST stands for Eastern Standard Time, five hours behind UTC (UTC−5). It covers the eastern United States and most of eastern Canada. The U.S./Canadian portion shifts to Eastern Daylight Time (EDT, UTC−4) in summer; Panama and the Caribbean stay on EST year-round.
Last updated · Maintained by Clockjumper
Current time in Eastern Standard Time
11:32 PM
Thursday, Jul 2
America/New_York
Quick facts
- Standard offset
- UTC−5 (EST)
- Daylight saving
- Yes — shifts to EDT (UTC−4)
- Next clock change
- Where it's used
- Used across the U.S. east coast and most of eastern Canada (Ontario, Quebec). Panama and several Caribbean nations also use EST but do not observe DST.
Cities in Eastern Standard Time
Convert EST to your time zone
Need to convert a specific time? Use the Clockjumper converter, or jump to one of these popular EST conversions:
Frequently asked questions
- What does EST stand for?
- EST stands for Eastern Standard Time.
- What is the UTC offset of EST?
- Eastern Standard Time is UTC−5, shifting to UTC−4 (EDT) when daylight saving is in effect.
- Does EST observe daylight saving time?
- Yes — Eastern Standard Time shifts to EDT (UTC−4) during summer. The next clock change is on November 1, 2026.