When does daylight saving time end in 2026? As early as possible

Energy & Environment When does daylight saving time end in 2026? As early as possible Comments: by Addy Bink - 08/09/26 12:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Addy Bink - 08/09/26 12:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied

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(NEXSTAR) – We’re less than three months from gaining an hour of sleep – unless Congress acts quickly.

While the House earlier this summer passed a bill that would make daylight saving time – the time we’re on right now – permanent, it’s unclear if or when the Senate could take up the legislation. President Trump, however, has expressed his support for the bill.

If the Senate doesn’t pick up the bill soon, and no other action is taken, our clocks will soon fall back to standard time until March.

This year, that tumble back an hour is happening at the earliest possible time.

Daylight saving time always ends on the first Sunday of the month, making November 1 the earliest date that we can set our clocks back an hour. A quick look at your calendar will show that November 1, 2026, falls on a Sunday.

Looking ahead, daylight saving time starts on the second Monday of March, meaning the soonest our clocks can “spring forward” is March 8. In 2027, that’s precisely when daylight saving time will start again.

It’s possible, through congressional action, that that will be the last time that the U.S. changes its clocks.

Should the Senate pass the Sunshine Protection Act already passed by the House, and President Trump sign it into law, winters could feel different. Under the legislation, states that do not exempt themselves would observe daylight saving time year-round.

Generally speaking, that also means we would have later sunrises and sunsets than we have experienced between early November and early March. It’s the later sunrises in winter that didn’t sit well with some when the U.S. last observed permanent daylight saving time.

Not everyone supports the shift to permanent daylight saving time, though. Many health experts agree that if we’re going to stop changing the clocks, it should be on permanent standard time. It could impact how thousands practice their religion. It could have “considerable implications” on your future flights, at least temporarily.

It’s difficult to say when, if ever, the Senate will pick up the Sunshine Protection Act. Efforts by the Senate to fast-track its version were thwarted.

Congress is also considering two bills in the House that would give states the option to observe year-round daylight saving time, a bill to make half-daylight saving time permanent, and a newly introduced bill to make standard time permanent, with exceptions.

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