UK clocks next change on Sunday 25 October 2026, going back one hour at 2am BST to 1am GMT and ending British Summer Time. They go forward again at 1am GMT on Sunday 28 March 2027. The pattern is fixed in law: forward on the last Sunday of March, back on the last Sunday of October.
TL;DR · LAST REVIEWED 25 JULY 2026
- Next change: clocks go BACK one hour at 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026 (an extra hour in bed)
- Then FORWARD one hour at 1am on Sunday 28 March 2027, starting British Summer Time
- The rule never varies: forward on the last Sunday of March, back on the last Sunday of October, across all four UK nations
- Spring forward, fall back: the spring change day is 23 hours long, the autumn one 25 hours
- Phones and connected devices update themselves; ovens, cars, boilers and analogue clocks do not
| Change | Date | What happens |
| Autumn 2026 | Sunday 25 October 2026, 2am | Back one hour: BST ends, GMT begins |
| Spring 2027 | Sunday 28 March 2027, 1am | Forward one hour: BST begins |
| Autumn 2027 | Sunday 31 October 2027, 2am | Back one hour |
| Spring 2028 | Sunday 26 March 2028, 1am | Forward one hour |
| Autumn 2028 | Sunday 29 October 2028, 2am | Back one hour |
| Spring 2029 | Sunday 25 March 2029, 1am | Forward one hour |
KEY FACTS
- Autumn 2026: back one hour at 2am BST on Sunday 25 October 2026 (BST ends, GMT resumes)
- Spring 2027: forward one hour at 1am GMT on Sunday 28 March 2027 (BST begins)
- Autumn 2027: Sunday 31 October; Spring 2028: Sunday 26 March; Autumn 2028: Sunday 29 October; Spring 2029: Sunday 25 March
- Legal basis: the Summer Time Act 1972 as set by the Summer Time Order 2002, fixing the last Sunday pattern
- British Summer Time first introduced in 1916; the whole of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland changes together
- A 2019 European Parliament proposal to end seasonal changes has never been finalised; the UK retains the pattern post Brexit
What actually happens at the change
In autumn, 2am BST becomes 1am GMT: the hour from 1am to 2am runs twice and the day lasts 25 hours. In spring, 1am GMT jumps straight to 2am BST: the hour never happens and the day lasts 23 hours. The mnemonic spring forward, fall back settles which way every time.
Sunrise and sunset shift with the clocks: the autumn change brings lighter mornings and darker evenings at a stroke, and the spring change reverses it. The changes land at those small hours precisely so that the fewest trains, broadcasts and shifts straddle the joint.
Why the UK changes the clocks at all
British Summer Time dates from 1916, introduced to save fuel and lengthen productive daylight in wartime. The modern schedule is fixed by the Summer Time Act 1972 as amended by the Summer Time Order 2002, which locks the last Sunday of March and last Sunday of October pattern the UK shares with Europe.
The European Parliament voted in 2019 to end seasonal clock changes across the EU, but member states never finalised the plan and the UK has made no move independently since leaving. Periodic parliamentary debate aside, no change to the pattern is scheduled, and the dates in the table above stand under current law.
The practical fallout worth planning for
Phones, computers and anything connected update themselves overnight; car dashboards, ovens, microwaves, boiler timers, heating programmers and analogue clocks do not, and the boiler timer is the one that quietly costs money by heating an empty house an hour off schedule for weeks.
Night shift workers straddling the change are paid for hours actually worked: 25 hour autumn shifts and 23 hour spring shifts, subject to the employment contract and minimum wage rules across the real hours. Travel bookings show local time at each end, so overnight departures on change weekends deserve a second look, and international meetings misalign for a fortnight each spring and autumn because the United States changes on different dates.
The change weekend checklist
- Confirm which way the clocks move: back in October, forward in March
- Let phones and connected devices update themselves overnight
- Manually reset the oven, microwave, car dashboard and analogue clocks
- Check the boiler or heating timer, the device most often left an hour adrift
- Recheck any overnight travel or shift times that straddle 1am to 2am on the change night
RELATED GUIDES
DISCLAIMER
This article is editorial information. Clock change dates are set by UK law and were correct at the last review date shown above; the practice could change only through new legislation.
Frequently asked questions
When do the clocks next change in the UK?
At 2am on Sunday 25 October 2026, going back one hour to 1am as British Summer Time ends and GMT resumes. The following change is forward, at 1am on Sunday 28 March 2027.
Do the clocks go forward or back in October?
Back one hour, at 2am on the last Sunday of October, giving an extra hour in bed. Forward happens in March. Spring forward, fall back.
Does all of the UK change at the same time?
Yes: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all change together at the same moment, under the same law.
Is the UK stopping the clock changes?
No change is scheduled. A 2019 European Parliament proposal to end seasonal changes was never finalised, and the UK has legislated nothing independently since leaving the EU.
How are night shift workers paid across the change?
For hours actually worked: a shift spanning the autumn change contains an extra real hour and a spring shift one fewer, with pay following the contract and minimum wage rules across the real hours.
Which devices need changing by hand?
Ovens, microwaves, car dashboards, analogue clocks, and boiler or heating timers, the last being the one that most often runs an hour off schedule for weeks unnoticed.
SOURCES
- GOV.UK: When do the clocks change – accessed 25 July 2026
- Summer Time Order 2002 (legislation.gov.uk) – accessed 25 July 2026
