Why fixed offsets give wrong answers
A time zone is a set of rules, not a number. New York is UTC−5 in winter and UTC−4 in summer, London switches between UTC+0 and UTC+1, and the two regions change on different weekends. This converter looks up the actual rule for the exact date you choose, using the IANA time zone database.
Times that don’t exist — or happen twice
When clocks spring forward, an hour of local time is skipped: 02:30 on the US spring-forward day never happens in New York. When clocks fall back, an hour repeats: 01:30 happens twice. Instead of silently guessing, the converter tells you when this happens and shows both possibilities.
Half-hour and quarter-hour offsets
India is UTC+5:30, Nepal is UTC+5:45 and Newfoundland is UTC−3:30. Every conversion keeps the minutes exact.
Time zone abbreviations
You can convert from fixed offsets too: type “Etc/GMT+5” for strict EST (UTC−5), or pick a city to follow its daylight saving rules. Background on the most searched abbreviations: UTC, GMT, EST/EDT, CST/CDT, PST/PDT, CET/CEST and IST.