Working days barely overlap with the US from Europe and not at all from the Gulf or Asia. Here are the US time zones, the clock-change dates that catch people out, and the call windows that work from where you are.
What are the US time zones?
The mainland US has four main time zones. The ITU’s time-zone notes and NIST give these offsets:
| Time zone | Major cities | Winter (standard) | Summer (daylight) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eastern (ET) | New York, Washington, Atlanta, Miami | UTC-5 | UTC-4 |
| Central (CT) | Chicago, Dallas, Houston | UTC-6 | UTC-5 |
| Mountain (MT) | Denver, Salt Lake City; Phoenix | UTC-7 | UTC-6 (Arizona stays UTC-7) |
| Pacific (PT) | Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle | UTC-8 | UTC-7 |
Alaska and Hawaii are further behind. Arizona and Hawaii do not use daylight saving time, according to NIST (the Navajo Nation in Arizona does). When it is 9 a.m. in Los Angeles it is noon in New York, so a client on each coast gives you very different windows.
If you do not know which zone a client is in, the area code is a good clue. Our area code directory lists the state for each one.
When do US clocks change in 2026 and 2027?
This is the trap. The US and Europe both use summer time but switch on different Sundays:
| Clocks go forward | Clocks go back | |
|---|---|---|
| US, 2026 | March 8 | November 1 |
| UK and EU, 2026 | March 29 | October 25 |
| US, 2027 | March 14 | November 7 |
| UK and EU, 2027 | March 28 | October 31 |
The US rule is the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November (NIST). The UK and EU switch on the last Sunday in March and October (GOV.UK, EU Directive 2000/84/EC).
So for about two to three weeks each spring and one week each autumn, New York is 4 hours behind London instead of 5. That includes right now: from October 25 to November 1, 2026, 9 a.m. in New York is 1 p.m. in London. Recurring meetings set in one calendar will shift by an hour for the other person during those weeks.
The UAE, India, Pakistan, the Philippines and Nigeria do not change clocks (ITU). From those countries, US business hours simply arrive an hour later in your evening from early November to mid-March.
What is the best time to call US clients from Europe, India or Dubai?
The tables show US business hours (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.) in your local time. “US summer” runs from mid-March to early November; “US winter” is the rest of the year. For the UK and Central Europe, the figures assume both sides are on the same kind of time, which is true except for the few weeks above.
Calling New York and the East Coast (ET)
| You are in | New York 9–5 in your time, US summer | New York 9–5 in your time, US winter | Best window for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. | 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. | 2 – 5 p.m. (3 hours inside your day) |
| Central Europe (Germany, France, Spain) | 3 p.m. – 11 p.m. | 3 p.m. – 11 p.m. | 3 – 6 p.m. |
| Nigeria | 2 p.m. – 10 p.m. | 3 p.m. – 11 p.m. | 2 – 5 p.m. summer, 3 – 6 p.m. winter |
| UAE | 5 p.m. – 1 a.m. | 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. | 5 – 8 p.m. summer, 6 – 9 p.m. winter |
| Pakistan | 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. | 7 p.m. – 3 a.m. | 6 – 9 p.m. summer, 7 – 10 p.m. winter |
| India | 6:30 p.m. – 2:30 a.m. | 7:30 p.m. – 3:30 a.m. | 6:30 – 9:30 p.m. summer, 7:30 – 10:30 p.m. winter |
| Philippines | 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. | 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. | 9 – 11 p.m. summer, 10 p.m. – midnight winter |
Calling Los Angeles and the West Coast (PT)
| You are in | Los Angeles 9–5 in your time, US summer | Los Angeles 9–5 in your time, US winter | Best window for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK | 5 p.m. – 1 a.m. | 5 p.m. – 1 a.m. | 5 – 7 p.m. |
| Central Europe | 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. | 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. | 6 – 8 p.m. |
| Nigeria | 5 p.m. – 1 a.m. | 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. | 5 – 7 p.m. summer, 6 – 8 p.m. winter |
| UAE | 8 p.m. – 4 a.m. | 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. | 8 – 10 p.m. summer, 9 – 11 p.m. winter |
| Pakistan | 9 p.m. – 5 a.m. | 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. | 9 – 11 p.m. summer, 10 p.m. – midnight winter |
| India | 9:30 p.m. – 5:30 a.m. | 10:30 p.m. – 6:30 a.m. | 9:30 – 11:30 p.m. summer, 10:30 p.m. – 12:30 a.m. winter |
| Philippines | Midnight – 8 a.m. (next day) | 1 a.m. – 9 a.m. (next day) | 5 – 8 a.m. summer, 6 – 9 a.m. winter (their afternoon) |
From the UK, a 2 p.m. call reaches New York at 9 a.m., right as the day starts. From Dubai, 5 p.m. in the US summer is 9 a.m. in New York. The Philippines is the odd one out: your early morning is the US West Coast’s afternoon of the previous day, which suits people who start work early.
Central time is one hour behind Eastern, so add an hour to the New York figures for Chicago or Dallas clients.
How do you handle calls outside your working hours?
From the Gulf and Asia, US business hours will always cut into your evening. A few habits make that manageable:
- Quote times in the client’s zone. Write “10 a.m. ET” or “2 p.m. PT”, never just “10 a.m.”. Calendar invites that show both zones avoid the clock-change trap.
- Batch US calls into one evening block. Two or three fixed evenings a week is easier to sustain than being reachable every night.
- Use the first US hours well. From Europe, New York’s morning is your afternoon. Put calls that need a decision there, because by your evening the US team is in meetings.
- Let voicemail take the rest. Turn on do-not-disturb at night and return calls in your next window. A short greeting that says when you call back sets expectations.
How does a US number with voicemail help?
For a US client, calling a US number is an ordinary domestic call rather than an international one. If you do not want clients calling your personal mobile at 3 a.m. your time, a separate US number gives you an off switch.
The TripoSIM US Virtual Number works this way. Incoming calls are included with a fair use of 300 minutes a month. TripoSIM says calls ring even when the app is closed once notifications and the microphone are allowed; a phone that is off, offline or has notifications blocked does not ring, and callers reach voicemail. When you do not answer, callers can leave a voicemail of up to 2 minutes, up to 30 a month, kept for 30 days. When you return calls, 300 outgoing minutes a month to US and Canadian numbers are included, and your client sees a US number. It runs in an app over Wi-Fi or mobile data, and texts are receive-only, so it is a calling and voicemail line rather than a full phone plan.
You can also choose an area code near your main clients, so the number looks local to them. Our voicemail guide shows how to set up a greeting for an overseas schedule, and the freelancer page covers how people use a US number with clients. For dialling formats, see how to call the US from abroad.
The bottom line
From the UK and Europe, call New York in your early to mid afternoon and the West Coast in your early evening. From Dubai, Pakistan and India, plan evening calls, roughly 5 to 9 p.m. in Dubai depending on the season. From the Philippines, either late evening for the East Coast or early morning for the West Coast. Watch the weeks in March and late October or early November when the US and Europe are out of step. Then let voicemail cover the hours you should be asleep.