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The Best Time to Call Between the US and Other Countries
Calling family overseas or setting up a meeting with a team abroad mostly comes down to one question: when are both of you awake, and ideally not at work or asleep? Here are the windows that work best from the US East Coast. If you are in Central time, subtract one hour from the Eastern times below; Mountain, subtract two; Pacific, subtract three.
All times are approximate because daylight saving time moves them by an hour at certain times of year. For an exact answer on any date, use the meeting planner.
United Kingdom and Ireland
London is usually 5 hours ahead of New York.
- Best for a work call: 8 AM to noon Eastern (1 PM to 5 PM in London).
- Best for a family call: 1 PM to 4 PM Eastern on a weekend (6 PM to 9 PM in London).
- For a few weeks in March, and for one week around the start of November, the gap is only 4 hours, because the US and UK change their clocks on different dates.
Western Europe (Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Rome)
Most of Western Europe is usually 6 hours ahead of New York.
- Work call: 8 AM to 11 AM Eastern (2 PM to 5 PM in Paris).
- Family call: noon to 3 PM Eastern (6 PM to 9 PM in Paris).
India
India is 9½ hours ahead of New York during US daylight saving time and 10½ hours ahead in winter. India doesn't change its clocks, so only the US side moves.
- Their evening: 8 AM to 11 AM Eastern is about 6:30 PM to 9:30 PM in India in winter, or 5:30 PM to 8:30 PM in summer.
- Their morning: 8 PM to 10 PM Eastern is about 6:30 AM to 8:30 AM the next day in India in winter.
- Teams working across the US and India often meet at 8 or 9 AM Eastern, which is the end of the working day in India.
The Philippines
Manila is 12 hours ahead of New York in summer and 13 hours ahead in winter. The Philippines doesn't use daylight saving time.
- Your evening, their morning: 7 PM to 10 PM Eastern is 8 AM to 11 AM the next day in Manila in winter.
- Your morning, their evening: 6 AM to 8 AM Eastern is 7 PM to 9 PM in Manila in winter.
- An easy rule: in winter, flip AM and PM and add one hour.
Japan and South Korea
Tokyo and Seoul are 13 hours ahead of New York in summer and 14 hours ahead in winter.
- Your evening, their morning: 7 PM to 9 PM Eastern is 9 AM to 11 AM the next day in Tokyo in winter.
- Japan and Korea don't change their clocks, so the gap only moves when the US does.
Australia (Sydney and Melbourne)
This is the hardest one, because both sides use daylight saving time in opposite seasons. Sydney is between 14 and 16 hours ahead of New York, depending on the time of year.
- US winter (November to March): Sydney is 16 hours ahead. 5 PM to 7 PM Eastern is 9 AM to 11 AM the next day in Sydney.
- US summer (April to October): Sydney is 14 hours ahead. 6 PM to 8 PM Eastern is 8 AM to 10 AM the next day.
- For a few weeks in March, April, October and November the gap is 15 hours, while one side has changed and the other hasn't.
Tips that save a lot of confusion
- Say the city, not the abbreviation. "9 AM New York time" can't be misread; "9 AM EST" sometimes is.
- Mention the day for far-away places. Monday evening in the US is already Tuesday morning in Asia and Australia.
- Re-check around clock changes. March, April, October and November are when standing calls most often go wrong.
- Let a calendar invite do the math. Calendar apps show each person the time in their own zone.
Quick answers
What time should I call India from the US?
Early morning in the US works well: 8 AM to 11 AM Eastern is evening in India. Late evening in the US (8 PM to 10 PM Eastern) reaches India the next morning.
How many hours ahead is the Philippines from New York?
12 hours ahead while the US is on daylight saving time, and 13 hours ahead from early November to mid-March.
Why does the time difference with Australia keep changing?
Both the US and southeastern Australia use daylight saving time, but in opposite seasons, so the gap moves between 14, 15 and 16 hours through the year.
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