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Central Time Zone (CT)

Central Time is on CDT (UTC−5) now. Clocks go back 1 hour to UTC−6 on Sun, 1 Nov 2026.

Daylight time in effect · CDT Reference city: Chicago

Sunday, 18 October 2026

Central Daylight Time · CDT · UTC−05:00

Your time-
UTC4:49 PM+5 h
Pacific9:49 AM−2 h
Mountain10:49 AM−1 h
Eastern12:49 PM+1 h
London5:49 PM+6 h
India10:19 PM+10.5 h

Standard and daylight time

PeriodOffsetStartsEnds
CDT · Central DaylightNowUTC−05:00Sun, 8 Mar 2026Sun, 1 Nov 2026
CST · Central StandardUTC−06:00Sun, 1 Nov 2026Sun, 14 Mar 2027
CDT · Central DaylightUTC−05:00Sun, 14 Mar 2027Sun, 7 Nov 2027
CST · Central StandardUTC−06:00Sun, 7 Nov 2027Sun, 12 Mar 2028

Changes happen at 2:00 AM local time. In spring clocks skip from 2:00 to 3:00 AM; in autumn the hour from 1:00 to 2:00 AM happens twice.

Places on Central Time

NebraskaTexasTennesseeWisconsinOklahomaLouisianaArkansasNashvillePensacolaDallasChicagoPanama CitySt. LouisWichitaNew OrleansAmarillo

See every state's zone on the United States page.

Convert Central Time

Central to Pacific Time ConverterCentral is 2 h aheadEastern to Central Time ConverterCentral is 1 h behindPacific to Central Time ConverterCentral is 2 h ahead

Questions

Is it CST or CDT right now?

It is CDT, Central Daylight Time (UTC−5). That changes on Sun, 1 Nov 2026, 2:00 AM.

What is the difference between CT, CST and CDT?

CT (Central Time) is the zone name that is always right. CST is the standard time used in winter and CDT the daylight time used from March to November. In meeting invites, writing CT avoids mistakes.

Which places use Central Time?

Places on this page include Nebraska, Texas, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Nashville.