Time Zone Cheat Sheet for Remote Teams: Offsets, Cities & Overlap
A single-page reference for remote teams. Bookmark this page for quick offset lookups, city-to-timezone mapping, and overlap windows between the most common distributed team corridors.
US Time Zones
All four US contiguous time zones observe Daylight Saving Time. Offsets below reflect the current date.
| Zone | Abbreviation | UTC Offset | Major City | DST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern Time (ET) | ET | UTC-5 / UTC-4 | New York | Observes DST |
| Central Time (CT) | CT | UTC-6 / UTC-5 | Chicago | Observes DST |
| Mountain Time (MT) | MT | UTC-7 / UTC-6 | Denver | Observes DST |
| Pacific Time (PT) | PT | UTC-8 / UTC-7 | Los Angeles | Observes DST |
Standard time offsets: ET UTC-5, CT UTC-6, MT UTC-7, PT UTC-8. Daylight time: add +1 to each. US DST runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.
European Time Zones
Most of Europe observes DST (last Sunday in March through last Sunday in October). Moscow does not.
| Zone | Abbreviation | UTC Offset | Major City | DST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK time (GMT/BST) | GMT/BST | UTC±0 / UTC+1 | London | Observes DST |
| Central European Time (CET) | CET | UTC+1 / UTC+2 | Berlin | Observes DST |
| Eastern European Time (EET) | EET | UTC+2 / UTC+3 | Helsinki | Observes DST |
| Moscow Time (MSK) | MSK | UTC+3 | Moscow | No DST |
Standard offsets: GMT UTC+0, CET UTC+1, EET UTC+2, MSK UTC+3. Summer offsets (during CEST/EEST): GMT/BST UTC+1, CET/CEST UTC+2, EET/EEST UTC+3.
Asia-Pacific Time Zones
Most Asia-Pacific zones have no DST. Australia and New Zealand are exceptions — and they observe DST in the southern hemisphere summer (October through April).
| Zone | Abbreviation | UTC Offset | Major City | DST |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| India Standard Time (IST) | IST | UTC+5:30 | Mumbai | No DST |
| Singapore Time (SGT) | SGT | UTC+8 | Singapore | No DST |
| Hong Kong Time (HKT) | HKT | UTC+8 | Hong Kong | No DST |
| Japan Standard Time (JST) | JST | UTC+9 | Tokyo | No DST |
| Korea Standard Time (KST) | KST | UTC+9 | Seoul | No DST |
| Australian Eastern Time (AEST) | AEST | UTC+11 / UTC+10 | Sydney | Observes DST |
| New Zealand Time (NZST) | NZST | UTC+13 / UTC+12 | Auckland | Observes DST |
Australia and New Zealand spring forward in October and fall back in April — opposite to the Northern Hemisphere. AEST is UTC+10 in winter, AEDT UTC+11 in summer.
Common Pair Quick Reference
Offset from the first zone to the second. A positive offset means the destination is ahead; negative means it is behind.
Two values, such as +5/+6h, mean the gap changes when one zone changes its clocks for DST.
4-Zone Overlap Timeline
Work hours (9 AM–6 PM) overlap for the four most common remote team corridors. Reference: New York.
These times apply on all dates in 2026–2027 except:
- Jan 1 – Mar 7, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 – Mar 13, 2027; Nov 7 – Dec 31, 2027: Mumbai times are 1 hour later, Tokyo times are 1 hour later.
- Mar 8 – Mar 28, 2026; Oct 25 – Oct 31, 2026; Mar 14 – Mar 27, 2027; Oct 31 – Nov 6, 2027: Berlin times are 1 hour earlier.
ET and CET have a 3–4 hour overlap window. ET and IST have roughly 1–2 hours in the US morning. ET and JST have virtually no overlap during standard business hours — one side must flex.
2026 DST Quick Reference
Clock change dates for the regions most relevant to distributed teams. Mark these on your team calendar — recurring meeting times shift by one hour on these dates.
| Region | Spring Forward | Fall Back |
|---|---|---|
| United States | March 8, 2026 | November 1, 2026 |
| European Union | March 29, 2026 | October 25, 2026 |
| United Kingdom | March 29, 2026 | October 25, 2026 |
| Australia (Sydney) | October 4, 2026 | April 5, 2026 |
| New Zealand | September 27, 2026 | April 5, 2026 |
Key watch-out: There is a 3-week gap between the US and EU spring transitions (March 8 vs. March 29). During this window, US-EU offsets are one hour different from the rest of the year. See the Europe DST 2026 guide for the full impact on meeting times.
Popular Conversions
Related Resources
- Meeting Planner — Input your team members and get scored, ranked meeting time suggestions with work-hour overlap visualization.
- Time Zone Abbreviations: Complete Reference Table — Full list of all 25+ time zone abbreviations with IANA names, regions, and ambiguity notes.
- Scheduling Across Time Zones: Best Practices for Global Teams — Rotation strategies, fairness frameworks, and tips for narrow overlap corridors.
- What Is Daylight Saving Time? — Why DST exists, which countries observe it, and how transitions affect recurring meetings.
- Europe DST 2026: Dates & Impact on US-EU Meetings — The 3-week gap problem between US and EU transitions, with before/after meeting time examples.