Clock Change in Germany: When the Clocks Go Forward and Back

Summer time starts on the last Sunday in March and ends on the last Sunday in October. The dates for the coming years and the legal rules.

Date & Age3 linked calculatorsReading time: 5 min.

Twice a year, clocks in Germany change: one hour forward in spring, one hour back in autumn. The dates are fixed – always the last Sunday in March and the last Sunday in October, during the night.

Key takeaways

  • Summer time starts on the last Sunday in March: at 2 am the clock goes forward to 3 am.
  • Summer time ends on the last Sunday in October: at 3 am the clock goes back to 2 am.
  • The night in March therefore has 23 hours, the night in October 25 hours.
  • The official name for "winter time" is Central European Time (CET); summer time is Central European Summer Time (CEST).
  • The rule has applied indefinitely since 2002 and transposes an EU directive.

The rule: last Sunday in March and October

Central European Summer Time starts on the last Sunday in March at 2 am Central European Time. At that moment, the clock is moved forward by one hour from 2 am to 3 am (section 2(1) Summer Time Ordinance, SoZV).

It ends on the last Sunday in October at 3 am Central European Summer Time. The clock is then moved back from 3 am to 2 am. The hour from 2 to 3 am occurs twice that night; officially they are called 2A (still summer time) and 2B (back to Central European Time) (section 2(2) SoZV).

Memory aid

Spring forward, fall back: forward in March, back in October.

Dates for the coming years

In 2026, summer time starts on Sun, March 29, 2026 and ends on Sun, October 25, 2026. The table shows the dates for the coming years.

Clock changes in Germany
YearClocks forward (summer time starts)Clocks back (summer time ends)
2026Sun, March 29, 2026Sun, October 25, 2026
2027Sun, March 28, 2027Sun, October 31, 2027
2028Sun, March 26, 2028Sun, October 29, 2028
2029Sun, March 25, 2029Sun, October 28, 2029
2030Sun, March 31, 2030Sun, October 27, 2030

Our own calculation (the last Sunday in March and October under section 2 SoZV), checked against the PTB table. Officially, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy announces the start and end of summer time for five years at a time in the Federal Gazette (section 3 SoZV).

Days until the next change

Countdown to a date.

Calculate now

Legal basis and legal time

  • Legal time is Central European Time (CET), which is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) plus one hour. During summer time, Central European Summer Time (CEST), UTC plus two hours, is legal time (section 4 Units and Time Act, EinhZeitG).
  • Both changes therefore take place at 1 am UTC: 2 am CET and 3 am CEST are the same moment.
  • The Units and Time Act allows summer time for a period between 1 March and 31 October; it should start and end on a Sunday (section 5).
  • The Summer Time Ordinance introduces summer time indefinitely from 2002 (section 1 SoZV). It transposes Directive 2000/84/EC on summer-time arrangements.
  • The Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) realises and disseminates legal time, best known through the DCF77 time signal transmitter that radio-controlled clocks follow (section 6 EinhZeitG).

Convert times between time zones

Including summer time – useful around the change and for appointments abroad.

Calculate now

What the change means in everyday life

  • The night in March is one hour shorter (23 hours), the night in October one hour longer (25 hours). Night-shift workers work one hour less or more accordingly.
  • Reading periods that span the change off the clock gives a one-hour error. In such cases, calculate with the time that has actually passed.
  • Radio-controlled clocks, smartphones and computers usually change automatically; clocks on ovens, cars or heating systems often have to be changed by hand.
  • Appointments with partners in other countries shift by one hour if they change on a different day or not at all.

Calculate time spans

Add several time spans, in hours and minutes.

Calculate now

Frequently asked questions

When is the next clock change in Germany?
Always on the last Sunday in March (clocks forward) and the last Sunday in October (clocks back). The table above shows the exact dates for the coming years.
Do the clocks go forward or back in October?
Back: from 3 am to 2 am. You gain an hour, and the night has 25 hours.
At what time do the clocks change?
In March at 2 am (to 3 am), in October at 3 am (to 2 am) – both are the same moment in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC).
What is "winter time"?
Colloquially, Central European Time (CET), i.e. the normal legal time outside summer time.

Sources

Every figure in this article comes from these primary sources or from the linked calculators, which are based on the same sources.

  1. Summer Time Ordinance (SoZV), sections 1 to 3 (accessed September 30, 2026)
  2. Units and Time Act (EinhZeitG), section 4 (legal time) (accessed September 30, 2026)
  3. Units and Time Act (EinhZeitG), section 5 (summer time) (accessed September 30, 2026)
  4. Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB): summer time in Germany since 1980 (accessed September 30, 2026)
  5. Directive 2000/84/EC on summer-time arrangements (transposed by the SoZV) (accessed September 30, 2026)
Onur Cirakoglu — Full-Stack Developer & Founder of HEADON.pro
Onur CirakogluSources verified

Full-Stack Developer & Founder of HEADON.pro

Full-stack developer and founder of HEADON.pro. Developer of Rechnerzentrale.