BST to EST Converter

Category: Time Zone Converters

- July 01, 2025

| |

Need a Different Conversion?

This tool is specific for BST to EST. For any other cities or time zones around the world, use our flexible Universal Time Zone Converter.

BST

British Summer Time

EST

Eastern Standard Time

Time Format:

Live BST: --:--:--

💡 EST is 5 hours behind BST

Convert Between BST and EST

Why this tool exists

Time zones don’t ask for permission to be confusing. One day you're setting up a call from London, the next you're coordinating with someone in New York—and trying to figure out whether it’s EST, EDT, BST, or GMT. This calculator takes the second-guessing out of the process. You plug in a date and time in British time, and it tells you exactly what that translates to in Eastern time, accounting for daylight saving changes on both sides.

Set your time, get the answer—no mental math required

You don’t need to know whether it’s daylight saving time in the UK or the US. The calculator handles that for you. Here’s how it works:

You enter a time and date in BST (British Summer Time), which flips automatically to GMT if the date falls outside the UK’s daylight saving period.
When you hit the Convert button, it shows you the matching time and date in EST—or EDT, depending on whether the US is observing daylight saving at that moment.
It does the math behind the scenes, adjusting the hour difference based on current rules in both regions.

Built-in awareness of daylight saving rules

The clever part? The calculator knows when each country changes its clocks:

In the UK, daylight saving starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October.
In the US, it runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November.

Because those don’t always line up, there are short windows in spring and fall when the time gap between the UK and US shifts from the usual 5 hours. This tool catches those changes automatically.

Step-by-step: How to use the time converter

1. Choose your time and date in BST

Use the time and date pickers on the left side. These fields default to the current BST time when the page loads, but you can edit them freely.

2. Click the “Convert” button

Right in the middle, there’s a button with a double arrow. Click that, and your matching time and date in EST (or EDT) appears instantly on the right.

3. Double-check the updated labels

Depending on the date you enter, the tool might switch the labels from BST to GMT, or from EST to EDT. This helps confirm whether daylight saving is in effect on either end.

4. Adjust the clock format if needed

Prefer 24-hour time? There’s a button at the bottom labeled 12H by default. Click it once, and it switches to 24H format—changing how the live BST clock and your output time are displayed.

Extra details worth knowing

There’s a live BST clock built in

At the bottom of the converter, you’ll see the current BST time updating every second. It gives you a quick way to check if your input time is in the future or past.

You don’t have to guess the time difference

A helpful note updates based on your input, showing exactly how many hours behind Eastern time is. It reflects real rules: whether that gap is 4, 5, or 6 hours depends on the date.

Can I convert from EST to BST instead?

Not directly. This tool is designed for one-way conversion from British to Eastern time. If you want to reverse it, you’d need to adjust manually or use another calculator.

Does this work year-round?

Yes. Whether it’s March, July, or November, the converter adjusts based on the exact day you enter. Just be sure to pick both a time and date—it needs both to figure out daylight saving status.

Stay in sync across time zones—without the mental gymnastics

Whether you’re scheduling a call, planning a deadline, or trying to catch a livestream, getting the time right between the UK and US is simpler with this calculator. Just pick a date and time, press convert, and trust that it’s giving you the right answer—even when daylight saving throws a curveball.