Current Time in America/Anchorage Time Zone
IANA Name: America/Anchorage
Standard Offset: UTC −09:00
Daylight Saving: Yes
DST Offset: UTC −08:00
DST Abbreviation: AKDT
Currently Observing DST: Yes ✅
America/Anchorage: Alaska's Time Zone in Depth
America/Anchorage is the IANA time zone identifier for most of the U.S. state of Alaska, including its largest city, Anchorage. It observes Alaska Standard Time (AKST) at UTC-09:00 during winter and Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT) at UTC-08:00 during summer. This zone covers the populous south-central and panhandle regions, excluding the far western Aleutian Islands and St. Lawrence Island (which use America/Adak and America/Nome respectively).
Geographic Scope and Usage
America/Anchorage applies to the majority of Alaska's population and land area. Major cities using this zone include Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau (though Juneau has its own IANA entry, America/Juneau, it shares the same offset and DST rules), and Sitka. The zone is used exclusively within the United States, specifically the state of Alaska. It is one of several IANA zones at UTC-09:00, alongside America/Juneau, America/Metlakatla, America/Nome, America/Sitka, America/Yakutat, Pacific/Gambier (French Polynesia), and the deprecated US/Alaska.
Offset and Abbreviation
Standard time: Alaska Standard Time (AKST) is UTC-09:00. Daylight time: Alaska Daylight Time (AKDT) is UTC-08:00. The abbreviation AKST is used from November to March, and AKDT from March to November. The offset is nine hours behind Coordinated Universal Time during standard time, and eight hours behind during daylight saving time. This places Anchorage 4 hours behind New York (EST/EDT) and 1 hour behind Los Angeles (PST/PDT) during standard time, but 1 hour ahead of Los Angeles during daylight time (when California is on PDT, UTC-07:00).
Daylight Saving Time Rhythm
Alaska observes daylight saving time, following the same schedule as the rest of the United States. Clocks spring forward 1 hour on the second Sunday of March and fall back 1 hour on the first Sunday of November. Upcoming changes: March 9, 2025 (to AKDT), November 2, 2025 (to AKST), March 8, 2026 (to AKDT), November 1, 2026 (to AKST). The shift occurs at 2:00 AM local time. This means Anchorage experiences long summer evenings with daylight lasting until nearly midnight, and short winter days with only about 5-6 hours of daylight in December.
Business Hours and Call Scheduling
For business coordination with Anchorage, note the following overlaps: During AKST (winter), Anchorage is 4 hours behind New York (EST). A 9 AM meeting in Anchorage is 1 PM in New York. With London (GMT/UTC+0), Anchorage is 9 hours behind; 9 AM AKST is 6 PM GMT. During AKDT (summer), Anchorage is 8 hours behind UTC, so 9 AM AKDT is 5 PM in London (BST). With Tokyo (JST, UTC+9), Anchorage is 18 hours behind during AKST and 17 hours behind during AKDT. The best overlap for calls with Asia is often early morning in Anchorage and late evening in Asia. For Europe, late morning in Anchorage aligns with late afternoon/early evening in Europe. Always confirm DST status on both sides, as transition dates may differ in other countries.
Practical Guidance
When scheduling with Anchorage, use the current offset: check if Alaska is on AKST or AKDT. The transition dates are fixed, but note that some regions (like Europe) change on different dates. A reliable method: convert to UTC first. For example, 10 AM AKST = 19:00 UTC; 10 AM AKDT = 18:00 UTC. Then convert to the target time zone. For recurring meetings, use a tool that automatically adjusts for DST.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current time in Anchorage?
Check a world clock for real-time. Anchorage uses AKST (UTC-09:00) from November to March, and AKDT (UTC-08:00) from March to November. The current offset depends on the date.
Does Alaska observe daylight saving time?
Yes, Alaska observes DST. Clocks spring forward on the second Sunday of March and fall back on the first Sunday of November, same as most of the United States.
Is Anchorage the same time as Juneau?
Yes, America/Anchorage and America/Juneau share the same offset and DST rules. They are both at UTC-09:00 (AKST) and UTC-08:00 (AKDT). The IANA identifiers are separate for historical reasons.
What is the time difference between Anchorage and New York?
During AKST (winter), Anchorage is 4 hours behind New York (EST). During AKDT (summer), Anchorage is 4 hours behind New York (EDT) as well, because both observe DST simultaneously. So the difference is always 4 hours.
Does the entire state of Alaska use America/Anchorage?
No. The western Aleutian Islands (west of 169°30'W) and St. Lawrence Island use America/Adak (UTC-10:00/-09:00). Some communities like Metlakatla use America/Metlakatla (which follows the same offset as Anchorage but has different DST history). Most of the state, including Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Nome, uses America/Anchorage or its aliases.
Why does Anchorage have two IANA zones?
America/Anchorage and America/Juneau are separate entries because they were historically different before standardization. Today they are identical in offset and DST. The IANA database retains multiple entries for backward compatibility.