Frequently Asked Questions
What is UTC and why is it important? ▼
UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks. It doesn't observe daylight saving time. All time zones are expressed as UTC offsets (e.g., UTC+5:30 for India, UTC-5 for US Eastern Standard Time).
What is Daylight Saving Time (DST)? ▼
DST is the practice of moving clocks forward by 1 hour in spring ("spring forward") and back in autumn ("fall back") to make better use of daylight. This converter uses IANA timezone data through the browser's Intl API, so DST transitions are handled automatically.
What does IST, EST, PST mean? ▼
These are timezone abbreviations. IST = Indian Standard Time (UTC+5:30). EST = Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5, used in winter). EDT = Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4, used in summer). PST = Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8). Abbreviations can be ambiguous — using IANA names like America/New_York is more reliable.
Which countries have unusual timezone offsets? ▼
India (UTC+5:30), Iran (UTC+3:30 / UTC+4:30 with DST), Nepal (UTC+5:45), Australia's Central time (UTC+9:30 / UTC+10:30), and Chatham Islands, NZ (UTC+12:45) all use non-standard offsets that aren't multiples of a full hour.