Current time in Chicago, Illinois, United States

Central Time sits between the US coasts

Chicago uses Central Standard Time (UTC−6) and Central Daylight Time (UTC−5). It is usually one hour behind New York and two hours ahead of Los Angeles. Those differences briefly vary on transition days because each US time zone changes at 02:00 local time.

Mexico City also uses UTC−6, but it no longer follows Chicago's seasonal changes. The cities agree during Chicago's standard-time months and differ during its daylight-time months. Choose the city and date instead of relying on the abbreviation CST.

Upcoming clock changes in Chicago

• Sunday, November 1, 2026Clocks move back 60 minutes: 02:00 → 01:00.UTC−5 → UTC−6 · 07:00 UTC
• Sunday, March 14, 2027Clocks move forward 60 minutes: 02:00 → 03:00.UTC−6 → UTC−5 · 08:00 UTC

Moving forward skips local times; moving back repeats them. For a time within the repeated hour, TimeTravel lets you select the earlier or later occurrence.

Calculated on Oct 18, 2026 from available IANA rules. Governments can revise future rules; refresh this page for an updated calculation.

When it is 09:00 in Chicago

These two dated examples show how the same morning appointment can translate across the year. Each cell includes the destination date, in 24-hour time.

Convert your own date from Chicago. The examples are individual instants, not a fixed year-round difference or a recommendation of working hours.