You’ll need to change your clocks this fall earlier than usual.
Daylight saving time ends the first Sunday in November, which falls on Nov. 1 this year. That means clocks will fall back an hour on Halloween night – or 2 a.m. local time on Nov. 1, to be specific – giving you an extra hour of sleep but bringing earlier sunsets in the days ahead.
Here’s what else to know about the end of daylight saving time in 2026.
Which states observe daylight saving time?
Mississippi is one of 48 states that participate in daylight saving time.
Hawaii and Arizona, with the exception of the Navajo Nation, are the only states not to observe the twice-annual time change along with territories American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Northern Marina Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Hawaii and Arizona were able to avoid daylight saving time by opting out of the 1966 Uniform Time Act, which regulates time zones.
What’s the point of daylight saving time?
While some people blame the farmers for DST, those in agriculture vouch that it wasn’t them.
According to The New York Times, Benjamin Franklin was credited with the idea after he realized he was wasting his mornings staying in bed. Franklin’s idea entered American government policy in 1918 to help conserve fuel and power during World War I. The U.S. followed in the footsteps of Germany (1916) in enacting DST. Even though the original goal was to cut energy costs, there are conflicting studies on the matter, with some arguing it doesn’t actually do that.
Will daylight saving time soon end?
The idea of ending daylight saving time permanently is yet to be decided. And those who are in charge of deciding are on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Congress has, for years, seen members introduce bills that would make daylight saving time permanent. U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, a Republican from Mississippi, has been in support of several pieces of legislation that would have put a stop to the clock-changing for good.
“The process of having to reset our clocks is an irritatingly outdated practice that we should ditch,” Hyde-Smith said in 2022. “We should instead embrace DST as a critically important way to realign daylight time to Americans’ most productive hours, while also improving public health and the American economy.”
Hyde-Smith and others have cited studies that vouch that permanent daylight saving time would result in more exercise for Americans, as more sunlight would be available during waking hours. A 2026 version of the bill passed the House in July but has not been brought to the Senate floor for a vote.
While President Donald Trump has seemingly flip-flopped on which side of the debate he’s on, the Republican said if a bill comes to his desk that makes daylight saving time permanent, he will sign it.
Future clock changes
If no congressional action is taken before the Nov. 1 clock change, most U.S. residents will have to wait until March 14, 2027, for daylight saving time to return.
Upcoming DST clock schedule:
- Fall 2027 end: Sunday, Nov. 7
- Spring 2028 start: Sunday, March 12
- Fall 2028 end: Sunday, Nov. 5
- Spring 2029 start: Sunday, March 11
- Fall 2029 end: Sunday, Nov. 4
- Spring 2030 start: Sunday, March 10
- Fall 2030 end: Sunday, Nov. 3