Time difference between Chicago and London
Right nowLoading current times…
London is 6 hours ahead Chicago at the start of the year; the gap changes 4 times during 2026 because the two cities change their clocks on different dates. Chicago uses America/Chicago (UTC−6 standard); London uses Europe/London (UTC+0 standard). The live line above shows the gap at this moment.
How this is calculated
The difference is the gap between the two cities’ UTC offsets at a given instant, taken from the IANA time zone database via the Intl API. It is recomputed live for the current moment, and for the year’s schedule below it is evaluated across every clock change in either city — which is why some pairs have several values a year and others one.
The overlap grid uses September 3, 2026 and 9-to-5 working hours; open the meeting planner for any other date or hours.
Last reviewed:
Time difference through 2026
| From | To | London is |
|---|---|---|
| December 31 | March 8 | 6 hours ahead Chicago |
| March 8 | March 28 | 5 hours ahead Chicago |
| March 28 | October 24 | 6 hours ahead Chicago |
| October 24 | November 1 | 5 hours ahead Chicago |
| November 1 | December 31 | 6 hours ahead Chicago |
Clock changes in 2026
Chicago: Sunday, March 8 at 3:00 AM local, clocks go forward (UTC−6 → UTC−5); Sunday, November 1 at 1:00 AM local, clocks go back (UTC−5 → UTC−6).
London: Sunday, March 29 at 2:00 AM local, clocks go forward (UTC+0 → UTC+1); Sunday, October 25 at 1:00 AM local, clocks go back (UTC+1 → UTC+0).
Working-hours overlap (September 3, 2026)
| Chicago hour | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 |
| London | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 0⁺ | 1⁺ | 2⁺ | 3⁺ | 4⁺ | 5⁺ |
green inside working hours ·grey early/late · plain = night · ⁺ next day · ⁻ previous day
Frequently asked questions
How many hours ahead is London of Chicago?
London is 6 hours ahead Chicago at the start of the year; the gap changes 4 times during 2026 because the two cities change their clocks on different dates. The full schedule is in the table above.
What is the time difference between Chicago and London in standard time?
6 hours ahead: Chicago is UTC−6 and London is UTC+0 outside daylight saving.
Does Chicago observe daylight saving time?
Yes. In 2026 Chicago changes its clocks on Sunday, March 8 and Sunday, November 1.
Does London observe daylight saving time?
Yes. In 2026 London changes its clocks on Sunday, March 29 and Sunday, October 25.
What is the best time for a meeting between Chicago and London?
Working hours overlap when it is 9:00–11:00 in Chicago (on September 3, 2026; use the meeting planner for another date).