Understanding Daylight Saving Time (DST)
One of the biggest challenges in scheduling international calls is Daylight Saving Time. Different countries start and end DST on different dates. For instance, the US often shifts clocks weeks before Europe. Our calculator uses the specific date you select to apply the correct DST rules for that moment, ensuring you're never an hour early or late.
What is UTC and GMT?
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the primary time standard for the world. GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) is often used interchangeably with UTC in casual conversation, but technically GMT is a time zone while UTC is a time standard. Most time zones are defined as an offset from UTC (e.g., UTC-5 for New York).
Tips for International Meeting Planning
When scheduling across multiple zones, try to find the 'Golden Hours'—typically 13:00 to 15:00 UTC—which cover morning in the Americas, afternoon in Europe, and evening in parts of Asia. Always send calendar invites which automatically convert to the recipient's local time.
Related time tools
- Date Calculator — compute day differences for deadlines and planning.
- Time Duration Calculator — calculate exact hours/minutes between times.
- Age Calculator — calculate age precisely in years, months, and days.