Current time in Boston
Live local time, date and time zone information for Boston, Massachusetts, United States.
Current time in Boston
10:12:22
America/New_York · UTC-04:00
Time zone in Boston
Boston is in Massachusetts, United States and uses the America/New_York time zone. Boston observes daylight saving time. It uses Eastern Standard Time (UTC-05:00) in the standard-time part of the year and Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00) during summer time.
Sunrise and sunset in Boston
Sun and clock in Boston
Boston lies about 4° east of the meridian its time zone is built around, so the sun runs ahead of the clock. Averaged over the year, solar noon arrives at 11:44 in standard time, and first light comes earlier in the morning than the clock alone would suggest. Summer time moves that an hour later still, to about 12:44.
Daylight through the year in Boston
At 42.4°N latitude, Boston sees its longest day around the June solstice, when the sun is above the horizon for about 15 h 17 m. The shortest day comes six months later at roughly 9 h 4 m, a swing of about 6 h 13 m between midsummer and midwinter.
Mid-latitude cities like Boston get the full seasonal cycle, with the longest and shortest days 6 h 13 m apart.
On the June solstice the sun rises in Boston at about 05:07 and sets at about 20:24; on the December solstice it rises at about 07:10 and sets at about 16:14.
When the clocks change in Boston
Boston follows the North American rule: clocks go forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November, at 02:00 local time in each zone.
The next two changes in Boston:
| Date | Change | New offset |
|---|---|---|
| November 1, 2026 | Clocks go back one hour on Nov 1, 2026 at 01:00, moving from UTC-04:00 to UTC-05:00. | UTC-05:00 |
| March 14, 2027 | Clocks go forward one hour on Mar 14, 2027 at 03:30, moving from UTC-05:00 to UTC-04:00. | UTC-04:00 |
Of the cities compared further down this page, New York, London and Sydney do change their clocks, so their difference from Boston moves by an hour twice a year; Dubai, New Delhi, Singapore and Tokyo do not, so those differences never change.
Calling Boston from another time zone
A working day of roughly 09:00 to 17:00 in Boston corresponds to 14:00–22:00 UTC. To find the equivalent window where you are, add your own offset to those hours: somewhere on UTC+00:00 would be looking at 14:00–22:00.
Taking a working day as 09:00 to 17:00 in each place:
- London overlaps for only 3 hours, from 09:00 to 12:00 Boston time — late in the day at one end and early at the other.
- Tokyo has no overlap at all: when it is 09:00 there, it is already 20:00 in Boston, so a call means an early start or a late finish for someone.
These windows use the offsets in force on 2026-10-09; where one side observes daylight saving and the other does not, they move by an hour twice a year.
Time difference from your location
Boston is currently on UTC-04:00. Once the page has loaded, this section compares it with the time zone your browser reports.
Boston compared with other cities
| City | Local time | Date | UTC offset | Difference from Boston |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loading… | ||||
Nearby cities
Other places in this directory that keep America/New_York time: New York, Miami, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta. Their clocks match Boston’s exactly, including any daylight saving change. The nearest listed city on a different zone identifier is Montreal, about 400 km away on America/Toronto, which shows the same clock time as Boston today.
Time zone rules: IANA tz database release 2026c, applied when this page was generated on 2026-10-09. Sun times: NOAA solar equations for 42.36°N, 71.06°W, flat horizon at sea level.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Boston in?
Boston uses the America/New_York time zone — Eastern Standard Time, UTC-05:00, moving to Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00) during summer time.
Does Boston use daylight saving time?
Boston observes daylight saving time. It uses Eastern Standard Time (UTC-05:00) in the standard-time part of the year and Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-04:00) during summer time.
What is the UTC offset for Boston?
The standard offset is UTC-05:00, and UTC-04:00 while summer time is in effect. The clock at the top of this page shows the offset that applies right now.
What is the time difference between Boston and my location?
The section above compares Boston with your own time zone as detected by your browser, and the table lists the difference against major cities worldwide.