HKT — Hong Kong Time
Current time, offset and daylight saving status for Hong Kong Time.
Current time in HKT
22:12:26
Hong Kong Time · UTC+08:00
About HKT
Hong Kong has not observed daylight saving time since 1979.
Working with HKT
UTC+08:00 applies here on every date of the year — there is no summer offset for Hong Kong Time to switch to, so a time written against it means the same instant in January as in July.
When it is noon UTC, Hong Kong Time reads 20:00; midnight UTC is 08:00 here. HKT runs 8 h ahead of UTC, so its calendar day begins before the reference clock’s does.
The same standard offset, UTC+08:00, is kept by CST (China), SGT and AWST, though each follows its own daylight saving rules — or none — so they do not stay aligned all year. One hour to the west of HKT in this directory sits ICT (UTC+07:00); one hour to the east, JST (UTC+09:00).
Clock changes in HKT
Hong Kong Time has no clock change at any point in the year; UTC+08:00 applies on every date, in Hong Kong as everywhere else on the zone.
Of the reference zones in the table below, New York, London, Berlin, Sydney and Los Angeles observe daylight saving, so their difference from HKT shifts twice a year; UTC, Dubai, Kolkata, Singapore and Tokyo stay fixed.
Where HKT is used
In this directory one city keeps HKT: Hong Kong. Between them they cover Hong Kong SAR.
Where HKT stands today
Hong Kong Time is UTC+08:00 today and will be UTC+08:00 on every other day. A recurring meeting anchored to HKT never drifts against UTC, which makes it a dependable reference for logs kept in Hong Kong and for schedules that run across a whole year.
A working day on HKT
Taking Hong Kong as the reference point for HKT, and a working day as 09:00 to 17:00:
- New York has no overlap at all: when it is 09:00 there, it is already 21:00 in Hong Kong, so a call means an early start or a late finish for someone.
- London overlaps for only 1 hours, from 16:00 to 17:00 Hong Kong time — late in the day at one end and early at the other.
- Tokyo’s working day overlaps with Hong Kong’s for 7 hours, from 09:00 to 16:00 Hong Kong time.
On the June solstice the sun rises in Hong Kong at about 05:40 and sets at about 19:10; on the December solstice it rises at about 06:58 and sets at about 17:44.
How HKT compares with other zones
Right now HKT runs ahead of UTC, New York, London, Berlin, Dubai, Kolkata and Los Angeles and behind Tokyo and Sydney. At the moment it shows the same time as Singapore.
| Zone | UTC offset | Difference from HKT |
|---|---|---|
| UTC | UTC+00:00 | 8h ahead |
| New York | UTC-04:00 | 12h ahead |
| London | UTC+01:00 | 7h ahead |
| Berlin | UTC+02:00 | 6h ahead |
| Dubai | UTC+04:00 | 4h ahead |
| Kolkata | UTC+05:30 | 2h 30m ahead |
| Singapore | UTC+08:00 | Same time |
| Tokyo | UTC+09:00 | 1h behind |
| Sydney | UTC+11:00 | 3h behind |
| Los Angeles | UTC-07:00 | 15h ahead |
Larger places currently keeping HKT: Hong Kong SAR.
Cities using HKT
Convert HKT to another zone
Related time zones
Time zone rules: IANA tz database release 2026c, applied when this page was generated on 2026-10-09.
Frequently asked questions
What is HKT?
Hong Kong Time, HKT, is UTC+08:00. Hong Kong has not observed daylight saving time since 1979.
What is the IANA identifier for HKT?
Asia/Hong_Kong — the entry that covers Hong Kong in the tz database. Use it rather than HKT in software: HKT names one season, Asia/Hong_Kong names the rules for every date.
Does HKT change for daylight saving?
No. Hong Kong Time keeps UTC+08:00 on every date; so does CST (China), SGT and AWST.
How do I convert HKT to my local time?
One hour to the west of HKT in this directory sits ICT (UTC+07:00); one hour to the east, JST (UTC+09:00). For anything beyond that, the converter applies the rules of Asia/Hong_Kong for the date you give it rather than a remembered figure.
Which cities use HKT?
In this directory one city keeps HKT: Hong Kong. Between them they cover Hong Kong SAR. The boundary is legal rather than geographic: it follows the borders of Hong Kong SAR, not a line of longitude.
What should I put in a configuration file for HKT?
Asia/Hong_Kong, never HKT. That entry carries the rules Hong Kong actually follows, including when daylight saving starts and ends, so software using it stays correct through a change that a stored offset would miss.