Every autumn most Americans gain an hour of sleep and lose an hour of evening light, and the argument over whether to keep the ritual returns with it. This year the change arrives on Sunday, November 1, while a bill to end it sits stalled in the Senate.
In this article we will explore when the clocks move, which places skip the change, where Congress stands, and how to prepare your sleep, your household and your safety checks.
The Switch Happens in the Early Hours of Sunday, November 1
The exact moment
Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026. At 2:00 a.m. local time, clocks move back to 1:00 a.m. standard time, which is why most Americans gain an hour. According to an ABC-owned station’s story published on October 6, that is the whole mechanism: nothing is skipped and nothing is lost, because the stretch between 1:00 and 2:00 a.m. simply happens twice.
Because the change is scheduled for the middle of the night, almost nobody is awake to see it. For most people the real event is what they do before bed on Saturday and what the clock on the wall says when they wake up on Sunday. A phone that adjusts on its own will show the new time without any effort, while the kitchen stove will happily keep announcing the old one for months.
Who gains the hour and who works through it
People asleep at 2:00 a.m. get a longer night if they keep their usual wake-up time by the old clock, or they can treat the extra hour as a cushion and let Sunday morning run slow. People who work overnight, including nurses, transit crews, factory staff and security guards, live through a 2:00 a.m. that repeats, which means a shift that crosses the change runs an hour longer than the schedule suggests. How that extra hour is paid depends on the employer, the contract and local rules, so anyone on a night schedule should ask a supervisor or the payroll office instead of assuming.
The trade that comes with the extra hour
The hour gained in the morning is paid for in the evening. After the clocks fall back, sunrise and sunset both arrive an hour earlier by the clock, so the glow that stretched past dinner all summer vanishes almost overnight. In the northern states, the sun can be setting around or before five in the afternoon within days of the change, and sunsets keep arriving earlier for several more weeks before the days slowly begin to lengthen again. That evening darkness is the complaint behind much of the national debate, and it is the reason the evening commute gets its own section later in this article.
Places That Never Change Their Clocks
Not everyone in the country moves a clock on November 1. Most of Arizona and Hawaii keep standard time all year, and so do five US territories: American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. The ABC-owned station’s report also points out an exception inside Arizona that trips up plenty of visitors. The table gives the short version before the details.
| Place | Moves its clocks on November 1? | Note |
| Most of Arizona | No | Stays on standard time all year |
| Navajo Nation, parts of Arizona | Yes | Observes daylight saving time |
| Navajo Nation neighbors in New Mexico, Utah and Colorado | Yes | Neighboring lands also observe it |
| Hawaii | No | Standard time all year |
| American Samoa | No | Standard time all year |
| Guam | No | Standard time all year |
| Northern Mariana Islands | No | Standard time all year |
| Puerto Rico | No | Standard time all year |
| US Virgin Islands | No | Standard time all year |
Arizona and Hawaii
Under the long-standing federal approach to time, a state may decide to stay on standard time all year, and Arizona and Hawaii both did. The reasons usually offered are practical. Hawaii sits close enough to the tropics that day length barely changes through the year, so shifting the clock buys very little, and Arizona has summers hot enough that an extra hour of evening sun is not everyone’s idea of a gift.
For travelers and anyone with relatives there, the effect is a shifting gap. When the mainland falls back, Hawaii ends up two hours behind the Pacific coast and five hours behind New York, one hour closer than it was in summer. Arizona does the opposite dance. After November 1 it matches the clocks in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico again, while during the summer it lined up with the Pacific coast.
The Territories
Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands follow the same all-year pattern, which means the time gap between each of them and the mainland changes by an hour on November 1. Puerto Rico, for example, will run an hour ahead of the East Coast through the winter instead of matching it. If you hold standing video calls with family or business partners in a territory, expect the calendar invitation to look wrong for a week and double-check the hour before you dial.
The Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation in parts of Arizona observes daylight saving time, as do its neighboring lands in New Mexico, Utah and Colorado. In summer that makes it an hour ahead of the rest of Arizona, a quirk that has confused many a road-trip schedule. Once clocks fall back, the whole area lines up on the same hour again, so this weekend is one of the few times of year when driving across those boundaries does not require a mental adjustment.
Congress Has Not Settled the Question
What the House did
The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025, sponsored by Rep. Vern Buchanan of Florida, passed the House by a vote of 308 to 117, according to the ABC-owned station’s report. The measure is aimed at ending the twice-yearly clock changes. It went to the Senate in July, and the station reports that it has stalled there.
A bill needs both chambers and a presidential signature to become law, so a strong House vote is only one step on a long path. The lopsided tally does show that the idea has wide support among representatives. It does not tell you when, or whether, the Senate will take it up, and nothing in the report suggests a vote is scheduled.
What backers and skeptics say
Supporters argue that keeping daylight saving time would help the economy and encourage outdoor activity. Rep. Gus Bilirakis made a related point in Congress on July 14, saying that “having more predictable daylight hours is a practical improvement that benefits workers, businesses, and visitors alike.” Opponents respond that more debate is needed before such a change goes ahead.
Notice that those two arguments are not quite the same. Bilirakis is talking about predictability, which is an argument for ending the switching, while the economic and outdoor-activity claims lean toward a specific choice of which time to keep. Much of the public conversation blurs the two, and the confusion makes the issue look more settled in one direction than it is.
What it means for this November
For this November, nothing changes. Clocks still fall back at 2:00 a.m. on November 1, and you should plan for it exactly as in any other year. A headline that calls this the last time clocks will change should be treated skeptically until the Senate acts and a law is signed, and even then a change of this kind would almost certainly come with a delay so that schedules, transit timetables and software could be updated. Readers who want the current status can check the official congressional website, since the bill’s position could have moved after this was written.
Permanent Daylight Time and Permanent Standard Time Are Different Ideas
Ending the clock changes sounds like one proposal, but it hides a choice between two quite different outcomes. Standard time is the baseline, in which clock noon falls reasonably close to the moment the sun is highest in the sky. Daylight saving time is that baseline pushed one hour later on the clock, so the sun appears to rise and set an hour later. A country that stops changing its clocks must pick which of the two to keep, and the choice shapes every winter morning and evening.
Mornings and evenings under each option
Here is an illustration with invented round numbers. Suppose that in midwinter the sun rises at 7:00 a.m. and sets at 4:45 p.m. on standard time. Staying on daylight time all year would move those to 8:00 a.m. and 5:45 p.m. Evenings get an hour of light back, and mornings get an hour of darkness added, which matters most for people who start work or school early.
Neither arrangement creates more daylight. They only move the same total around the clock, which is why every proposal produces a winner and a loser among early risers and evening people. A shift worker, a farmer, a school bus driver and a restaurant owner could each give a different and perfectly reasonable answer about which end of the day matters most.
Who gets to decide
As the federal system has long worked, states can choose standard time all year, which is exactly what Arizona and Hawaii did, but they cannot adopt daylight saving time all year on their own. That requires an act of Congress, and it is why bills such as the Sunshine Protection Act exist. If you want to know the
current rule in your state, the state government or the US Department of Transportation, which has historically overseen time zones, is the place to ask.
The health debate
Sleep scientists and medical groups have argued about this for years. Several have said in the past that permanent standard time fits the human body clock better, because morning light helps keep sleep and waking on schedule, while supporters of permanent daylight time stress safer, more active evenings. This article does not rank those positions, and the facts reported about the current bill do not settle it. If the topic matters to you, look up the most recent statements from the medical societies themselves, since positions can change.
Sleep and Body Clocks Take Days to Settle
Adults
Falling back is generally gentler than springing forward, because you gain an hour instead of losing one. Even so, the body keeps its own schedule, and many people wake an hour early by the new clock on Sunday and feel foggy by late afternoon. The easiest fix is light. Get outside or sit by a bright window soon after waking, keep your usual bedtime by the new clock, and avoid sleeping in much past your normal wake time, which only delays the adjustment.
Caffeine late in the day will be harder on you during the first week, since your body will still think it is an hour earlier than the clock says. A walk after lunch and a regular dinner hour help more than any gadget. If the sleepiness lasts well beyond a week or a pattern of poor sleep develops, a doctor can look at it properly.
Children and infants
Small children do not read clocks, and an infant who wakes at 6:00 a.m. will now wake at 5:00 a.m. by the new time. The kindest approach is to shift gradually. Starting a few days before the change, move bedtime, meals and naps later by about 10 to 15 minutes each day, so that by November 1 the new clock matches what their bodies expect. If you have already missed that window, make the same small shifts in the days after the change instead.
Blackout curtains help in the morning, and a quiet routine at night helps even more. For toddlers who can handle it, a simple clock that changes color to show when it is acceptable to get up can turn a very early morning into a calm one. Expect a week of imperfect sleep, and do not treat the first cranky afternoon as a sign that anything is wrong.
Older adults, shift workers and pets
Anyone who takes medication on a strict schedule, such as insulin or other time-sensitive drugs, should ask a pharmacist or doctor how to handle the repeated hour instead of guessing. The usual principle is to keep the spacing between doses, not the number on the clock, but personal advice from a professional beats a general rule here.
Pets are the quiet casualties of the change. A dog that expects dinner at 6:00 p.m. will show up at the bowl at what is now 5:00 p.m. by the body clock, and a cat will treat the new schedule as an insult. Shift feeding and walks by 10 to 15 minutes a day, the same way you would for a child, and everyone adjusts within a week or so.
Clocks That Change Themselves and Clocks That Do Not
Most of the devices people carry will fix themselves, provided they are set to update time automatically. Everything else needs a human hand, and that list is longer than most households expect. A few minutes with the table below on Saturday evening saves a week of arriving at the wrong time.
| Device | Usually updates itself? | What to do |
| Smartphone, tablet, laptop | Yes, if set to automatic time | Confirm the automatic setting is on and check the clock Sunday |
| Smartwatch | Usually, through the paired phone | Check it after the phone updates |
| Smart speaker, internet-connected TV | Usually yes | Glance at it Sunday morning |
| Car dashboard clock | Often no | Change it by hand, or check whether a connected system syncs it |
| Oven and microwave | No | Reset by hand |
| Wall clocks and analog watches | No | Move back one hour |
| Programmable thermostat | Varies by model | Check the manual and the display |
| Timers for lights, sprinklers, aquariums or heating | Mostly no | Reset each one |
| Bedside alarm clock | Varies | Test it before sleeping |
Devices to check on Saturday night
Phones are the safest of the lot, but they only update if the automatic setting is on, and people who changed it while traveling sometimes leave it off. A quick look in the date and time menu takes ten seconds. Do the same on any tablet that your children use for an alarm or a school routine, since a wrong time there can start the week badly.
Smartwatches and fitness trackers usually follow the phone, but they sometimes lag for a few minutes. Smart speakers and internet-connected televisions generally correct themselves overnight. If you rely on a smart home routine for lights, heating or a coffee maker, confirm on Sunday that it fired at the right moment, because routines tied to local time can misbehave when the hour repeats.
Oven, car and other manual clocks
The oven, the microwave and the car dashboard are the classic stragglers. Many people leave the car clock wrong for months and then correct it in spring, which is harmless until you use it to time a school pickup. Set it on Sunday while you are thinking about it, and treat any car that updates through navigation or a connected phone as a pleasant exception, not a rule.
Programmable thermostats deserve a special look, since a wrong clock means the heating or cooling schedule runs an hour off, which costs money and comfort in cold weather. Timers on lamps, outdoor lights, sprinklers and aquarium equipment also need resetting by hand. Walk through each room once with a list and you will catch most of them.
Safety Checks That Belong to Clock-Change Weekend
Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms
The weekend of the clock change is a handy reminder to test every smoke and carbon monoxide alarm in the home. Press the test button on each unit, and replace the batteries in any alarm that uses replaceable ones. Units with sealed, long-life batteries do not need a battery swap, but they should still be tested and checked for the date printed on the back, since alarms have a limited service life. The label or manual will tell you when to replace the whole unit, and that period differs by type, so read it instead of relying on a rule of thumb.
Placement matters as much as batteries. Alarms belong on every level of the home and near sleeping areas, and carbon monoxide alarms matter most once the heating season begins and furnaces, fireplaces and gas appliances are back in use. An alarm that chirps every minute or so is asking for attention, so follow the manual instead of silencing it and forgetting about it. If a carbon monoxide alarm sounds and anyone feels dizzy, nauseated or has a headache, get everyone outside and call emergency services.
The darker evening commute
The most underrated change of the weekend is the evening drive home. A commute that was bright in October may be in dusk or darkness by the first week of November, and low sun can also shine straight into drivers’ eyes during the morning trip. Turn headlights on a little earlier, clean the inside of the windshield, where film from summer builds up and scatters light, and leave a larger gap behind the car ahead.
People on foot and on bikes carry more of the risk in the dark, so reflective gear, a bright front and rear light and a path that avoids unlit streets are cheap ways to cut it. Parents of children who walk home from after-school activities should talk about visibility and crossing habits this week, not in December. Drivers can help by treating residential streets near schools and parks as places where someone may step out of the shadows.
Lights and the home
Exterior lights on timers will turn on at the old hour unless they are reset, which can leave a front step dark or a porch light burning in the daylight. Sensor-driven lights adjust on their own, but a timer needs your attention. This is also a good moment to replace burned-out bulbs near stairs and entrances, because the dark hours are about to get longer for months.
Final Thoughts: A Weekend Plan for the Switch
Before Saturday night
Pick one stretch of ten minutes on Friday or Saturday and write down every clock in the home that does not update itself. Test the smoke and carbon monoxide alarms and put fresh batteries in those that need them. If you have small children, begin moving bedtimes later in small steps a few days ahead, and tell caregivers or grandparents so everyone follows the same plan.
Saturday night and Sunday
Before bed, confirm that your phone is set to adjust the time automatically. Go to sleep at your usual clock time, wake at your usual clock time, and get outside in daylight soon after. During the day on Sunday, work through the manual list: oven, microwave, car, wall clocks, thermostat and timers. If you work overnight, ask about pay and scheduling for the repeated hour before the weekend, not after.
The week that follows
Expect an early dusk and plan for it. Put headlights on a bit earlier, carry a light or wear something reflective if you walk or ride, and keep the evening routine steady for kids and pets. If a headline claims Congress has ended the clock changes, check the official congressional website before you assume anything has moved, because as reported this month the bill has not made it past the Senate.
The next time the clocks need attention will depend on what lawmakers do, and until then the safest assumption is that the biannual routine stays.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What time do clocks go back on November 1?
Clocks move back at 2:00 a.m. local time on Sunday, November 1, 2026. At that moment the time becomes 1:00 a.m. standard time. Most phones and computers do this on their own.
Do we gain or lose an hour when daylight saving time ends?
Most Americans gain an hour when it ends. The 1:00 a.m. hour happens twice, so a full night of sleep is a little longer by the clock. The tradeoff is earlier sunsets in the evening.
Which states do not observe daylight saving time?
Most of Arizona and Hawaii stay on standard time all year. The Navajo Nation in parts of Arizona is an exception and observes daylight saving time. American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands also skip it.
Has Congress passed a law to stop changing the clocks?
Not yet. The House passed the Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 by a vote of 308 to 117, but the bill went to the Senate in July and has stalled there, according to an ABC-owned station. Check the official congressional website for the latest status.
Do phones update automatically when the time changes?
Yes, phones, tablets and laptops generally do, as long as they are set to adjust the time automatically. Ovens, microwaves, many car clocks and wall clocks do not, so you will need to change them by hand. Look at the date and time settings on Saturday night to be safe.
How can I help my kids adjust to the time change?
Shift bedtime, meals and naps by about 10 to 15 minutes a day over several days. Get them into morning daylight and keep the evening routine calm. Most children settle within a week.
