When do clocks fall back? 2026 daylight saving time start and end

Daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026, when clocks turn back one hour.

The annual “fall back” means an extra hour of sleep and a return to standard time. It also means an earlier sunset, with darkness arriving noticeably sooner in the late afternoon and evening.

Under current federal law, daylight saving time begins on the second Sunday in March and ends on the first Sunday in November. This year, that puts the end of daylight saving time on Nov. 1. Michigan will remain on standard time until clocks move forward again in March 2027.

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When to set your clocks back

At 2 a.m. on Nov. 1, clocks will turn back one hour, from 2 a.m. to 1 a.m.

Most smartphones, computers and other internet-connected devices make the change automatically, but clocks on appliances, vehicles and other devices may need to be adjusted manually.

For many Michiganians, the November time change is easier on sleep than the spring transition because it provides an extra hour overnight. But the shift also means an abrupt change in evening daylight. Sunset arrives about an hour earlier by the clock, leaving many people commuting home from work or school after dark.

Disagreement over daylight saving time

Not every part of the United States observes daylight saving time. Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on standard time year-round instead of changing clocks, and the territories of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands also do not observe the twice-yearly shift.

Michigan itself has debated whether to keep changing clocks. The state House approved legislation in 2021 to potentially end the seasonal time changes, but Michiganians still adjust their clocks twice a year.

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Congress standardized daylight saving time in the United States in 1966 with the Uniform Time Act, which established a nationwide framework for the seasonal time change. The current schedule — beginning on the second Sunday in March and ending on the first Sunday in November — has been in place since 2007.

The idea behind daylight saving time has traditionally been to make better use of natural evening light and potentially conserve energy, although researchers have questioned how much energy the practice saves under modern electricity-use patterns.

Supporters of daylight saving time have also pointed to potential benefits of more daylight during active evening hours, including effects on traffic safety, pedestrian activity, and crime. Critics, meanwhile, have raised concerns about the health and sleep effects associated with changing clocks twice a year.

See how daylight saving time impacts your body

The switch to daylight saving time can disrupt sleep, mood and overall health. Experts explain why the time change affects the body and what it means for your well‑being.

What about President Trump’s support for making daylight saving time permanent?

Despite President Donald Trump’s support for making daylight saving time permanent — and years of debate in Congress over ending the twice-a-year clock changes — Americans are still expected to turn their clocks back this fall.

Unless Congress changes federal law before then, daylight saving time will end at 2 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1, when most of the United States will “fall back” one hour and return to standard time.

When does daylight saving time begin again?

Daylight saving time will return on Sunday, March 14, 2027, when clocks “spring forward” one hour at 2 a.m.

Until then, Michigan will remain on standard time through the late fall and winter. The November change means earlier sunrises and earlier sunsets, a shift that becomes especially noticeable as Michigan approaches the shortest days of the year in December.

The winter solstice, which marks the astronomical beginning of winter and the shortest day of the year in the Northern Hemisphere, arrives in late December. After the solstice, daylight gradually begins increasing again until the return of daylight saving time the following March.