Scheduling a call across countries is where good intentions meet arithmetic. "Let's meet at 9 am" only works if everyone agrees whose 9 am. A few habits remove almost all the confusion.
Always name the time zone
"Thursday at 3 pm" is ambiguous. Write "Thursday, 3:00 pm New York time (UTC−4)". Better still, include a second reference so people can double-check:
Thursday 15 October, 15:00 New York (UTC−4) · 20:00 London (UTC+1) · 04:00 Friday Tokyo (UTC+9)
Use UTC as a neutral reference
Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) doesn't change with the seasons. Other zones are described as offsets from it — "UTC+7" means seven hours ahead. Quoting UTC alongside local times gives everyone a shared anchor.
Beware daylight saving time
Not every country observes it, and those that do change on different dates:
- The US moves its clocks on the second Sunday in March and the first Sunday in November.
- The EU moves them on the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October.
For a few weeks each year, the gap between New York and London is one hour shorter than usual. A recurring meeting can quietly shift by an hour for the people affected. Converting for the exact date — not just today's offset — avoids this.
Watch for the date changing
Converting a late-evening time east can push it into the next calendar day. A 20:00 meeting in New York is 09:00 the next day in Tokyo. Always check the date as well as the hour.
A simple process
- Pick the time that works for the person with the least flexibility.
- Convert it for everyone else, for the exact date.
- Check nobody ends up with a 3 am call — and rotate the inconvenient slot if the meeting recurs.
- Send the invitation with the time zone named.
Convert it instantly
The Time Zone Converter starts with your own zone and current time. Add the cities you need and it shows the local time and date for each, flags "next day" or "previous day", and applies daylight saving automatically using your browser's built-in time zone data.
FAQ
What does "UTC+7" mean? The local time is seven hours ahead of UTC. When it's 12:00 UTC, it's 19:00 there.
Is GMT the same as UTC? For everyday purposes, yes. GMT is a time zone used in the UK in winter; UTC is the global standard.
Why did my recurring meeting move by an hour? Daylight saving changed in one country but not another. Check the time for the new date.
Try it now
Open the free Time Zone Converter and add your team's cities.
Related reading
Working with timestamps in code? Read What Is a Unix Timestamp?. Browse the full blog for more guides.