UK / London Time
Live local time in London and the UK (Europe/London). Free online tool — no sign-up. Clear formulas and worked examples. Runs locally in your browser.
Trust summary Engine tested · Specification checked · v1.0.1
- Input interpretation
- Enter values to calculate.
- Result
- —
- Model
- Current local date and time in the Europe/London time zone (UK / London Time).
- Scope
- Device clock and OS timezone database are reasonably correct.
- Verification
- Engine tested · Specification checked · v1.0.1
- Named expert review
- Optional · Not performed
- Specification basis
- IANA time zone database — Europe/London
- UK DST: last Sunday in March / last Sunday in October
- GMT = UTC+0; BST = UTC+1
Formulas
Core equations used by this calculator.
How to use
Open the live clock
The page shows current date and time for Europe/London from your browser.
Refresh if needed
Use Refresh to re-read the clock; the display also updates about once per second.
Check the season
In winter expect GMT (UTC+0); from late March to late October expect BST (UTC+1).
Example calculations
Common configurations with formula and result.
Noon UTC in winter
GMT = UTC+0
Noon UTC in summer
BST = UTC+1
vs New York (both standard)
EST = UTC−5
vs New York (both daylight)
BST and EDT
DST schedule (London local time)
Common values at a glance.
| Year | Spring forward (GMT → BST) | Fall back (BST → GMT) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Sun Mar 30, 01:00 → 02:00 | Sun Oct 26, 02:00 → 01:00 |
| 2026 | Sun Mar 29, 01:00 → 02:00 | Sun Oct 25, 02:00 → 01:00 |
| 2027 | Sun Mar 28, 01:00 → 02:00 | Sun Oct 31, 02:00 → 01:00 |
| 2028 | Sun Mar 26, 01:00 → 02:00 | Sun Oct 29, 02:00 → 01:00 |
UK / London Time specification
Version 1.0.1 · Engine tested
- Engine tested 3 published cases
- Named expert review Not performed
- Calculation version 1.0.1
- Definition
- London and the United Kingdom use Greenwich Mean Time (GMT, UTC+00:00) in winter and British Summer Time (BST, UTC+01:00) in summer on the IANA zone Europe/London. UK clock changes follow the last-Sunday-in-March / last-Sunday-in-October rule, which differs from the U.S. schedule.
- What it calculates
- Current local date and time in the Europe/London time zone (UK / London Time).
- Inputs
- None — uses the device clock and the IANA zone Europe/London
- Outputs
- Local time (24-hour style from the browser formatter)
- Local calendar date
- Formula
Display = Intl.DateTimeFormat with timeZone Europe/London- Assumptions
- Device clock and OS timezone database are reasonably correct.
- Covers the United Kingdom; some Crown Dependencies and overseas territories use other zones.
- Runs locally in the browser; no server round-trip for the clock.
- Units
- Civil local time (hours, minutes, seconds)
- UTC offset GMT +0 / BST +1
- Boundary conditions
- On spring-forward, 01:00–01:59 GMT does not occur
- On fall-back, 01:00–01:59 GMT occurs twice
- Example
- 12:00 UTC in GMT → 12:00; in BST → 13:00
- Validation cases
3 published on this page
- UTC 12:00 during GMT → 12:00 Europe/London
- UTC 12:00 during BST → 13:00 Europe/London
- Same instant as America/New_York (both standard) → London is 5 hours later
- Specification basis
- IANA time zone database — Europe/London
- UK DST: last Sunday in March / last Sunday in October
- GMT = UTC+0; BST = UTC+1
- Calculation version
- 1.0.1
Background
Interpretation and common distinctions.
Current time in London, United Kingdom
This page shows a live local clock for London and the UK, using the IANA zone Europe/London. Time is read from your browser with that zone applied.
This site’s legacy UK time and BST URLs also point here.
UK Time (GMT / BST)
| Season | Name | Abbreviation | UTC offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter (standard) | Greenwich Mean Time | GMT | UTC+0 |
| Summer (daylight) | British Summer Time | BST | UTC+1 |
Prefer Europe/London or an explicit UTC offset when accuracy matters. Do not call London “GMT” in July — it is usually on BST.
Daylight Saving Time (UK rule)
London follows the UK / European-style schedule (not the U.S. schedule):
- Spring forward — last Sunday in March at 01:00 GMT → 02:00 BST.
- Fall back — last Sunday in October at 02:00 BST → 01:00 GMT.
For 2026, London moves to BST on 29 March and returns to GMT on 25 October. Because U.S. DST starts earlier and ends later, the London–New York difference is briefly 4 hours instead of 5 for a few weeks each year.
How London time compares
- UTC: same as GMT in winter; London is 1 hour ahead of UTC in summer (BST).
- New York: typically 5 hours ahead of New York when both are on standard or both on daylight time.
- Chicago: typically 6 hours ahead.
- Los Angeles: typically 8 hours ahead.
- Beijing: London is 8 hours behind in winter, 7 hours behind in summer.
UTC vs GMT
For everyday scheduling, UTC and winter GMT both mean offset +0. UTC never observes DST; London does. Example: noon UTC is 12:00 GMT or 13:00 BST.
Related tools
Other calculators in this family: UTC Time, New York Time, Chicago / Central Time, Los Angeles Time, Beijing / China Time .
Frequently asked questions
Key distinctions behind the calculation.
What time zone is London in?
London uses UK time: GMT (UTC+0) in winter and BST (UTC+1) in summer. The IANA identifier is Europe/London.
What is the difference between GMT and BST?
GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) is UTC+0 and is used in winter. BST (British Summer Time) is UTC+1 and is used when Daylight Saving Time is in effect.
Does the UK observe Daylight Saving Time?
Yes. Clocks spring forward on the last Sunday in March (01:00 GMT → 02:00 BST) and fall back on the last Sunday in October (02:00 BST → 01:00 GMT).
Is UK DST the same as U.S. DST?
No. The U.S. changes on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November. The UK changes on the last Sundays of March and October, so there are weeks when the London–New York gap is 4 hours instead of 5.
Is GMT the same as UTC?
For everyday civil time, yes — both are offset +0. UTC is the modern atomic-clock standard; GMT is the traditional name still used for UK winter time.
Why use Europe/London instead of “GMT”?
Saying “GMT” year-round is wrong for much of the year when London is on BST. Europe/London applies the correct seasonal rules automatically.
What is UTC?
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the global time standard. London is UTC+0 in winter and UTC+1 in summer.