# Time zone converter: IST to EST, PST, GMT, Dubai and Singapore, and how daylight saving changes the gap

> What time is it in New York when it is 9 pm in India? Why the gap between India and the US is 9½ hours for part of the year and 10½ for the rest, the 2026 daylight-saving dates, and a simple method to plan a meeting across three countries without mistakes.

Published 2026-10-22 by Toolcloak. 4 minute read. Original: https://toolcloak.com/articles/time-zone-converter-ist-to-est-pst-gmt-dubai-and-singapore-and-how-daylight-saving-changes-the-gap
Related free tool: [Time Zone Converter](https://toolcloak.com/tools/time-zone-converter)

A meeting invite that says “10 am” is useless until you say **whose** 10 am. This guide explains how India’s time relates to the rest of the world, why the gap with the US and UK changes twice a year when India’s own time never moves, and a four-step method that always gives the right answer.

> **In short**
> - **India Standard Time (IST) is UTC+5:30 all year.** India has no daylight saving.
> - **The gap to the US East Coast is 9½ hours in winter and 10½ in summer.** To London it is 5½ hours in winter and 4½ in summer.
> - **Dubai (+4) and Singapore (+8) do not change their clocks,** so their gap with India is fixed at 1½ hours and 2½ hours.
> - Always convert **through UTC** and check the date, not just the hour. Day changes cause most missed calls.

## The gap from India to other places

Subtract the other place’s offset from IST’s +5:30. If the answer is positive, India is ahead and you subtract that many hours to get their time. Offsets below are standard time first, then summer time where it exists.

| Place | Winter / standard offset | Summer offset | India compared with this place |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| India (IST) | UTC+5:30 | no change | — |
| London (GMT / BST) | UTC+0 | UTC+1 | ahead by 5:30 (winter), 4:30 (summer) |
| Paris, Berlin (CET / CEST) | UTC+1 | UTC+2 | ahead by 4:30 (winter), 3:30 (summer) |
| Dubai (GST) | UTC+4 | no change | ahead by 1:30, all year |
| Singapore (SGT) | UTC+8 | no change | behind by 2:30, all year |
| Tokyo (JST) | UTC+9 | no change | behind by 3:30, all year |
| Sydney (AEST / AEDT) | UTC+10 | UTC+11 | behind by 4:30 (Apr to Oct), 5:30 (Oct to Apr) |
| New York (EST / EDT) | UTC−5 | UTC−4 | ahead by 10:30 (winter), 9:30 (summer) |
| Los Angeles (PST / PDT) | UTC−8 | UTC−7 | ahead by 13:30 (winter), 12:30 (summer) |

*Place names with two codes show the standard-time code first and the summer-time code second. “Ahead” means India’s clock shows a later time.*

> **Read the New York row carefully:** In winter (EST, UTC−5) the gap is 5:30 − (−5) = 10:30. In summer (EDT, UTC−4) it is 5:30 − (−4) = 9:30. So India–US East is 9½ hours when US clocks are forward, and 10½ when they are back.

Try it: [Time Zone Converter](https://toolcloak.com/tools/time-zone-converter). Pick a date, time and city and see the equivalent time in every major zone, with daylight saving applied for that date.

## One morning in India, around the world

**When it is 10:00 am in India on 22 October 2026**

| When | What |
| --- | --- |
| Los Angeles | 9:30 pm, 21 Oct. Still summer time (PDT, UTC−7). The previous evening. |
| New York | 12:30 am, 22 Oct. EDT, UTC−4. Just after midnight. |
| London | 5:30 am. BST, UTC+1, until 25 October 2026. |
| Dubai | 8:30 am. GST, UTC+4. No change all year. |
| Singapore | 12:30 pm. SGT, UTC+8. |
| Tokyo | 1:30 pm. JST, UTC+9. |
| Sydney | 3:30 pm. AEDT, UTC+11, summer time in Australia. |

*The same moment in time. The date is different in Los Angeles because it is still the previous day there.*

## Daylight saving in 2026: the dates that matter

Daylight saving time (DST) moves clocks forward in spring and back in autumn. The dates differ by region, so for a few weeks the gap between two countries is **neither the summer nor the winter number**.

| Region | Clocks go forward | Clocks go back |
| --- | --- | --- |
| USA and Canada (most areas) | Sunday 8 March 2026 | Sunday 1 November 2026 |
| UK and EU | Sunday 29 March 2026 | Sunday 25 October 2026 |
| Australia (NSW, Victoria and others) | Sunday 4 October 2026 | Sunday 5 April 2026, and again in April 2027 |
| India, UAE, Singapore, Japan | No change | No change |

*Between 25 October and 1 November 2026 the UK is on winter time while the US is still on summer time. The UK–New York gap is 4 hours that week instead of the usual 5.*

**Hours India is ahead of New York across 2026**

| Date | India ahead of New York (hours) |
| --- | --- |
| Jan | 10.5 |
| Mar 1 | 10.5 |
| Mar 15 | 9.5 |
| Jun | 9.5 |
| Oct 20 | 9.5 |
| Nov 1 | 10.5 |
| Dec | 10.5 |

*The line drops from 10.5 to 9.5 when US clocks go forward on 8 March and returns to 10.5 on 1 November. India’s own time never changes.*

## A four-step method that always works

**9:00 pm IST to New York**

1. **Write the time with its zone.** 21:00 IST.
2. **Subtract India’s offset to get UTC.** 21:00 − 5:30 = 15:30 UTC.
3. **Add the other place’s offset.** New York in summer is UTC−4: 15:30 − 4:00 = 11:30.
4. **Check the date.** 11:30 am on the same day. For 9:00 am IST the answer is 11:30 pm the day before.

*Doing it through UTC means you never have to remember a pairwise gap. It also exposes DST, because the offset you add depends on the date.*

## Planning a meeting between India and the US

Working hours in India (9:30 am to 6:30 pm) and the US East Coast (9 am to 5 pm) barely overlap. The usable windows are the Indian evening and the American morning.

| Time in India | New York (summer, EDT) | New York (winter, EST) | Fit |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 6:30 pm | 9:00 am | 8:00 am | Early for the US in winter |
| 7:30 pm | 10:00 am | 9:00 am | Good for both |
| 8:30 pm | 11:00 am | 10:00 am | Good for both |
| 9:30 pm | 12:00 pm | 11:00 am | Late for India, fine for the US |
| 10:30 pm | 1:00 pm | 12:00 pm | Only if you are used to late calls |

*Rotate the inconvenient slot between the two teams so one side does not take every late call.*

## Writing times so nobody gets confused

**How to quote a meeting time**

| Clear | Confusing |
| --- | --- |
| 7:30 pm IST / 10:00 am ET | 10 am EST |
| Two zones, both written out | In summer the US East is on EDT, so “EST” is technically wrong |
| ET covers both EST and EDT | No date, so the day is unclear |
| Add the date: Thu 5 Nov | Only one zone given |

*A calendar invite sent from your phone handles the conversion for each person. In plain text, always give two zones.*

- Use **ET, PT, CT** for “Eastern, Pacific, Central” when you do not want to say whether it is standard or summer time.
- Add the **weekday and date**. “Tuesday 3 November” is checked faster than a bare time.
- For developers, store times in UTC and convert only for display. The [Unix time guide](https://toolcloak.com/articles/unix-time-the-number-that-counts-seconds-since-1970) explains the idea.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is the time difference between India and the USA?

For the US East Coast, India is 9½ hours ahead while US clocks are on summer time (March to November) and 10½ hours ahead in winter. For the West Coast it is 12½ and 13½ hours.

### What is IST to EST?

IST is UTC+5:30 and EST is UTC−5, so IST is 10 hours 30 minutes ahead of EST. In summer, New York uses EDT (UTC−4) and the gap becomes 9 hours 30 minutes.

### Does India have daylight saving time?

No. India Standard Time stays at UTC+5:30 all year. India has not used daylight saving in recent decades.

### What time is 9 am IST in New York?

In summer (EDT) it is 11:30 pm the previous day. In winter (EST) it is 10:30 pm the previous day.

### What is UTC+5:30?

It is India Standard Time, 5 hours 30 minutes ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. Sri Lanka also uses UTC+5:30.

### What is the time difference between India and Dubai?

Dubai is on UTC+4, so India is 1 hour 30 minutes ahead of Dubai all year round. Neither country changes its clocks.

### When do the clocks change in 2026?

In the US and Canada on 8 March and 1 November. In the UK and EU on 29 March and 25 October. In much of Australia on 5 April and 4 October.

### What is the best time for a meeting between India and the US?

Between about 7:30 pm and 9:30 pm in India, which is the morning in the US East Coast. Check the exact gap for the date because it changes by an hour when US clocks change.