Current Time in US/Alaska Time Zone

Geographic Scope and Usage

The US/Alaska zone applies to nearly all of mainland Alaska, including the state's largest cities: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau (the state capital), and many others. It also covers the southeastern panhandle, the interior, and most of the south-central region. The zone is used by the vast majority of Alaska's approximately 730,000 residents. The IANA database lists several other zones at the same offset: America/Anchorage, America/Juneau, America/Metlakatla, America/Nome, America/Sitka, America/Yakutat, and Pacific/Gambier. These are historical or administrative subdivisions that share the same UTC offset and DST rules but may have different historical records or local practices. For most practical purposes, US/Alaska is interchangeable with America/Anchorage.

Offset and Abbreviation

During standard time, the offset is UTC-09:00, abbreviated as AKST (Alaska Standard Time). During daylight saving time, the offset shifts to UTC-08:00, abbreviated as AKDT (Alaska Daylight Time). The abbreviation reflects Alaska's unique position: it is one hour behind the Pacific Time Zone (UTC-08:00 standard, UTC-07:00 daylight) and one hour ahead of the Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone (UTC-10:00 standard, no DST for most of Hawaii). The change from AKST to AKDT occurs on the second Sunday of March at 02:00 local time, when clocks spring forward to 03:00. The return to AKST occurs on the first Sunday of November at 02:00 local time, when clocks fall back to 01:00.

Daylight Saving Behavior and Yearly Rhythm

Alaska observes daylight saving time in accordance with U.S. federal law. The transition dates are uniform across all zones that observe DST in the United States. For the coming years: On March 9, 2025, at 02:00 AKST, clocks move to 03:00 AKDT. On November 2, 2025, at 02:00 AKDT, clocks move back to 01:00 AKST. The same pattern repeats in 2026: March 8 and November 1. This twice-yearly shift means that Alaska experiences long summer days with extended daylight in the evening, and short winter days with later sunrises. The DST period lasts about 34 weeks (mid-March to early November), which is longer than the standard time period of about 18 weeks.

Main Countries and Cities

The US/Alaska zone is used exclusively within the United States, specifically in the state of Alaska. The largest city in the zone is Anchorage, with a population of about 290,000. Other major cities include Fairbanks (pop. 32,000), Juneau (pop. 32,000), and Wasilla (pop. 9,000). The zone also covers smaller communities such as Sitka, Ketchikan, and Bethel. Note that the western Aleutian Islands (west of 169°30'W) and St. Lawrence Island use the Hawaii-Aleutian Time Zone (UTC-10:00) and do not observe DST. The IANA zone America/Adak covers that area.

Practical Guidance for Business Hours and Scheduling Calls

When scheduling calls or coordinating business hours between Alaska and other regions, consider the following: Alaska is 4 hours behind Eastern Time (ET) during standard time (AKST vs. EST) and 4 hours behind during daylight time (AKDT vs. EDT). For example, 10:00 AM in New York is 6:00 AM in Anchorage. Compared to Pacific Time, Alaska is 1 hour behind year-round (since both observe DST). So 10:00 AM in Los Angeles is 9:00 AM in Anchorage. For London (UTC+00:00 standard, UTC+01:00 DST), Alaska is 9 hours behind during standard time and 8 hours behind during DST. For Tokyo (UTC+09:00, no DST), Alaska is 18 hours behind during standard time and 17 hours behind during DST. The best overlap for business with the contiguous U.S. is typically from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM Alaska time, which corresponds to 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time. For international calls, early morning in Alaska (e.g., 7:00 AM) aligns with late afternoon in Europe (e.g., 4:00 PM in London) and late evening in Asia (e.g., 11:00 PM in Tokyo).