When do the clocks go back in 2026? Sunday 25 October at 2am
The UK then stays on Greenwich Mean Time until the clocks go forward again on 28 March 2027, GOV.UK says.
The clocks in the UK go back one hour at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, when British Summer Time (BST) ends, according to GOV.UK.
After the change the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). GOV.UK gives one rule for the UK: the clocks go “back 1 hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October”.
Royal Observatory Greenwich says the change means “an extra hour in bed” for anyone who is asleep when it happens.
Clock change dates, 2026 to 2028
GOV.UK publishes the dates in a table that runs from 2025 to 2028. In 2027 the clocks go back on 31 October, six days later in the month than this year, and in 2028 on 29 October.
| year | clocks go forward | clocks go back |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 29 March | 25 October |
| 2027 | 28 March | 31 October |
| 2028 | 26 March | 29 October |
All three dates fall on the last Sunday of October. The clocks go forward again in the spring at 1am, GOV.UK says, and it describes British Summer Time as the period when “there’s more daylight in the evenings and less in the mornings”.
Will my phone and watch change by themselves?
The observatory says most devices with an internet connection, such as smartphones and computers, “should automatically update”. Some watches, and the clocks in cars and kitchens, “may not change on their own”, so people need to be ready to wind them back.
Not everyone is asleep at 2am. Employees on a night shift at that hour “may find themselves working an extra hour”, and night workers are often advised to check their contracts and discuss the situation with their employer.
Why does it happen on a Sunday?
The weekend slot was picked as “the least disruptive option for schools and businesses”, the observatory says. Summer time itself dates from the Summer Time Act of 1916, which followed William Willett’s 1907 campaign and the pamphlet “The Waste of Daylight”.
What time do the clocks go back in 2026?
By one hour, at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, according to GOV.UK.
Is the date the same across the UK?
GOV.UK gives one rule and one set of dates for the UK, and lists none for individual nations.
When do the clocks go forward next?
On 28 March 2027, according to GOV.UK’s table.
