Daylight Saving Time Ends 2026: Nov 1, Plus a Home Checklist

Daylight Saving Time Ends November 1, 2026: the Twice-a-Year Home Checklist

Daylight saving time ends on Sunday, November 1, 2026, at 2 a.m. local time. Clocks go back one hour, so 2 a.m. becomes 1 a.m. and you get an extra hour that night. Most of Arizona and Hawaii do not change. Phones and computers update on their own; the oven, the car and the wall clocks do not. Fire departments use the same weekend as a reminder to check smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, and it is a good time for a few other twice-a-year home checks.

The date is the easy part. The useful part is the list of home checks that only get done when something reminds you, and the clock change happens twice a year, every year.

When does daylight saving time end in 2026?

According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology, during 2026 daylight saving time runs from March 8 at 2 a.m. to November 1 at 2 a.m. local time. The rule behind it: daylight saving time ends on the first Sunday of November and starts on the second Sunday of March. That makes the next start Sunday, March 14, 2027.

Not everyone changes clocks. NIST lists the places that do not observe daylight saving time: Hawaii, Arizona (except the Navajo Nation), Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa.

What changes on its own and what does not:

Updates by itself: phones, computers and most devices that set their time over the internet.
Needs you: the oven and microwave, the car dashboard, wall and bedside clocks, older thermostats and sprinkler timers, and the coffee maker if it has a timer.

The twice-a-year home checklist

Fire officials have long tied alarm checks to the clock change, because it is a date everyone already knows. Here is the list, with what official sources actually say about each item.

1. Test smoke alarms and check their age

The U.S. Fire Administration's smoke alarm guidance says to test every alarm monthly. For alarms that run on a 9-volt battery, replace the batteries at least once every year, and replace the whole alarm every 10 years. Alarms with a sealed 10-year lithium battery do not need new batteries; replace the whole unit when the manufacturer says. Hardwired alarms have a backup battery that also needs changing.

Look at the back of each alarm for the manufacture date. If it is more than 10 years old, replace it.

2. Test carbon monoxide alarms

The Minnesota State Fire Marshal says to test CO alarms monthly, change their batteries at least once a year, and replace the alarms every five to seven years. It also suggests the habit this checklist is built on: replace batteries each fall and spring, when the clocks change.

3. Check the emergency kit

Ready.gov's guide to building a kit asks you to replace expired items as needed and to rethink your needs every year as your family changes. Twice a year, look at:

Food and water dates
Batteries for flashlights and radios
The first aid kit: bandages, medicines and their expiration dates
A few days of prescription medicines, if your doctor and pharmacy allow it

4. Look at the fire extinguisher

The U.S. Fire Administration's fire extinguisher guidance lists what to check: nothing blocks it, the gauge shows the recommended pressure, and the can, hose and nozzle are not damaged, dented or rusted. Some extinguishers need to be shaken monthly, others pressure tested every few years, so follow the label on yours.

5. Reset the clocks that do not change themselves

Go room by room: kitchen, car, bedrooms, and any timers on lights, sprinklers or the thermostat.

Add the dates you will need next time

The checks go faster when the details are already in one place. While you are at it, write down:

The manufacture date of each alarm, by room, so you know which one to replace first.
The model of your alarms and extinguisher, for buying the right battery or a replacement.
The expiration dates in the first aid kit and emergency supplies.
Which appliance clocks need a manual reset, so next time you do not forget the car.

If you already keep model numbers for appliances, our guide to saving appliance model numbers and warranties works for alarms and extinguishers too. Splitting the list between people at home helps: see who remembers what in your household.

Let Tracy bring the list back twice a year

Tracy is the assistant in dEssence. Send her this checklist, a photo of the back of your smoke alarm with its date, or the first aid kit with its expiration dates, from Telegram, iMessage, Chrome or the web. Ask for a reminder the day before each clock change, and she brings the list back on Saturday, October 31, and again before March 14, 2027. You can ask her to repeat it every spring and fall. She does not test alarms or know when one beeps; she makes sure the weekend does not pass without the check.

Frequently asked questions

Do we gain or lose an hour on November 1, 2026?

You gain an hour. At 2 a.m. local time, clocks go back to 1 a.m., so that night is one hour longer.

When does daylight saving time start again?

Sunday, March 14, 2027, at 2 a.m. local time, when clocks go forward one hour.

Should I change smoke alarm batteries when the clocks change?

It is a good habit. The U.S. Fire Administration says to replace 9-volt batteries at least once a year and test alarms monthly; the Minnesota State Fire Marshal suggests changing batteries each fall and spring with the clock change. Sealed 10-year alarms do not take new batteries.

Which states do not change their clocks?

Hawaii and most of Arizona stay on standard time all year, as do Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa. The Navajo Nation in Arizona does change.