When do the clocks go back in 2026? What changes on Sunday 25 October

Explained: when the clocks go back in the UK

This year the clocks go back on Sunday 25^th October 2026. That is the day the UK ends British Summer Time and returns to Greenwich Mean Time. Here is what the change means, based on the rules published by GOV.UK.

When the clocks go back in 2026

GOV.UK says the clocks move back one hour at 2am on the last Sunday in October. In 2026 that is 25^th October. At 2am the time becomes 1am again.

The clocks go forward again at 1am on the last Sunday in March. GOV.UK lists the next change as 28^th March 2027.

What it means when the clocks go back

Because 2am becomes 1am, the hour between 1am and 2am happens twice that night. Anyone planning an early start or a late finish on that Sunday should count the extra hour in their plans.

The change also moves daylight. GOV.UK explains that during British Summer Time there is more daylight in the evenings and less in the mornings. After the change, that shifts: mornings are lighter and evenings get dark earlier.

Why the clocks go back each autumn

The period when the clocks are one hour ahead is called British Summer Time, or BST. After the change, the UK is on Greenwich Mean Time, or GMT. Some people call BST daylight saving time.

The rule is the same every year, so the date moves. It is always the last Sunday in October.

Dates to know

GOV.UK lists the dates for the next few years. They go back on 25^th October 2026 and on 31^st October 2027. They go forward on 28^th March 2027 and 26^th March 2028. For more on Britain’s rules and traditions, see our guide to how a bill becomes law.