Los Angeles runs on Pacific Standard Time (PST), UTC-8, for most of the year, and Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), UTC-7, during the US daylight saving period. It's the western edge of the four contiguous US time zones, and the furthest behind the UK of any major American city.
Los Angeles time at a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Time Zone | PST / PDT |
| UTC Offset | UTC-8 (PST) or UTC-7 (PDT) |
| DST | Yes — clocks go forward in March and back in November |
Los Angeles vs UK time
Both the US and UK observe daylight saving, but not on the same dates, which briefly narrows the gap each spring and autumn. Most of the year, Los Angeles sits 8 hours behind London. For a few weeks in March and again in November, when one side has already changed its clocks and the other hasn't, the gap narrows to 7 hours instead.
Quick conversions: Los Angeles to London
| Los Angeles | London (BST, Mar–Oct) | London (GMT, Oct–Mar) |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM | 4:00 PM | 4:00 PM |
| 11:00 AM | 7:00 PM | 7:00 PM |
| 2:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 10:00 PM |
| 5:00 PM | 1:00 AM next day | 1:00 AM next day |
Los Angeles vs other cities
| City | Offset from Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| New York | 3 hours ahead |
| London | 8 hours ahead |
| Singapore | 15–16 hours ahead |
| Sydney | 17–19 hours ahead |
The mistake people make on this corridor
Assuming "US time" means New York time. Los Angeles is 3 hours behind New York, and a meeting scheduled off the Eastern-time offset alone will land three hours early or late for anyone on the West Coast.
Does Los Angeles observe daylight saving time?
Yes. Like most of the United States, California moves clocks forward in March and back in November. The switch dates don't line up exactly with the UK's own daylight saving calendar, which is why the gap briefly narrows from 8 hours to 7 around those transitions.
What is the time difference between Los Angeles and London?
Eight hours for most of the year, narrowing to 7 for a short stretch around the UK and US daylight saving transition dates, since the two countries don't switch on the same day.
What time should I schedule a call with Los Angeles from the UK?
Early UK afternoon works best. A 2 PM London call lands around 6 AM in Los Angeles, which is early — a UK call closer to 5 or 6 PM, landing at 9 or 10 AM Pacific, sits more comfortably inside the LA working day, at the cost of eating into the UK evening instead.
Why the eight-hour gap is the hardest of the major US corridors
Los Angeles is the toughest of the big US cities to schedule against from the UK: by the time it's 9 AM in Los Angeles, it's already 5 PM in London, the very end of a standard UK working day. That leaves a narrow overlap, usually the UK's last hour or two of the afternoon against the US west coast's first hour or two of the morning.
New York is a different corridor, not a smaller version of this one
It's tempting to treat "US time" as one offset and adjust slightly for the coast, but the three-hour gap between New York and Los Angeles changes which UK hours actually work. A UK afternoon call that's comfortable for New York — say, 3 PM London, 10 AM New York — is still only 7 AM in Los Angeles, too early for most people's working day.
Does the gap with Los Angeles ever go outside 7 to 8 hours?
No — 7 or 8 hours covers every case, with 8 the default for most of the year and 7 only appearing briefly around the UK's and the US's daylight saving transition dates.
Scheduling With Los Angeles
Wenya handles Los Angeles timezone scheduling automatically inside WhatsApp, iMessage and Telegram. Try it at wenyawanna.ai