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EST is exactly 3 hours ahead of PST. Subtract 3 from any Eastern time to get Pacific. That gap never changes, even during daylight saving.
If you need a quick answer: 1 PM EST = 10 AM PST. 9 AM EST = 6 AM PST. 5 PM EST = 2 PM PST. But if you are scheduling a meeting, figuring out when a livestream starts, or trying to call someone on the other coast without waking them up, you probably need more than the simple math. Here is everything about the EST-PST relationship, including the parts that trip people up.
Convert any time between EST, PST, and all world zones instantly.
Open Timezone ConverterBookmark this. It covers every hour in a 24-hour cycle.
| EST (Eastern) | PST (Pacific) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 12:00 AM (midnight) | 9:00 PM (previous day) | Date rolls back on Pacific side |
| 1:00 AM | 10:00 PM (previous day) | |
| 2:00 AM | 11:00 PM (previous day) | |
| 3:00 AM | 12:00 AM (midnight) | Same calendar day starts |
| 4:00 AM | 1:00 AM | |
| 5:00 AM | 2:00 AM | |
| 6:00 AM | 3:00 AM | |
| 7:00 AM | 4:00 AM | |
| 8:00 AM | 5:00 AM | |
| 9:00 AM | 6:00 AM | East Coast business hours start |
| 10:00 AM | 7:00 AM | |
| 11:00 AM | 8:00 AM | |
| 12:00 PM (noon) | 9:00 AM | Best meeting window starts |
| 1:00 PM | 10:00 AM | Peak overlap |
| 2:00 PM | 11:00 AM | Peak overlap |
| 3:00 PM | 12:00 PM | Peak overlap |
| 4:00 PM | 1:00 PM | Peak overlap |
| 5:00 PM | 2:00 PM | East Coast business hours end |
| 6:00 PM | 3:00 PM | |
| 7:00 PM | 4:00 PM | |
| 8:00 PM | 5:00 PM | West Coast business hours end |
| 9:00 PM | 6:00 PM | |
| 10:00 PM | 7:00 PM | |
| 11:00 PM | 8:00 PM |
The highlighted rows mark the window where both coasts are in standard business hours (9-5). The blue rows are the sweet spot for coast-to-coast meetings.
You do not need a chart for most conversions. The rule is dead simple:
That is it. 1 PM EST = 10 AM PST. 6 PM PST = 9 PM EST. If the math crosses midnight, adjust the date. 1 AM EST = 10 PM PST the previous day. 11 PM PST = 2 AM EST the next day.
For the specific conversions people search for most often:
| EST | PST |
|---|---|
| 9:00 AM EST | 6:00 AM PST |
| 10:00 AM EST | 7:00 AM PST |
| 11:00 AM EST | 8:00 AM PST |
| 12:00 PM EST | 9:00 AM PST |
| 1:00 PM EST | 10:00 AM PST |
| 2:00 PM EST | 11:00 AM PST |
| 3:00 PM EST | 12:00 PM PST |
| 4:00 PM EST | 1:00 PM PST |
| 5:00 PM EST | 2:00 PM PST |
| 6:00 PM EST | 3:00 PM PST |
| 7:00 PM EST | 4:00 PM PST |
| 8:00 PM EST | 5:00 PM PST |
Both are US time zones. EST covers the East Coast (New York, Miami, Atlanta, Boston, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Charlotte). PST covers the West Coast (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, San Diego, Las Vegas). The gap between them: 3 hours, always.
In UTC terms:
The difference between -5 and -8 is 3. The difference between -4 and -7 is also 3. No matter which label you use, it is always 3 hours.
This is where people get confused, but it is actually straightforward for EST-PST conversions.
Both the Eastern and Pacific time zones switch to daylight saving on the same dates:
Because both zones switch together, the 3-hour gap stays constant. During standard time (November through March), you are comparing EST to PST. During daylight saving (March through November), you are comparing EDT to PDT. Either way, subtract 3.
The confusion usually happens when someone converts between US Eastern and a timezone that does NOT observe DST the same way. For example, EST to GMT changes by 1 hour during parts of the year because the UK switches on different dates than the US. But EST to PST? Always 3. You can stop worrying about it.
You work in New York and your colleague is in LA. When can you both meet without someone being miserable?
| Window | EST | PST | Reality Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet spot | 12:00 - 3:00 PM | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM | Both sides fresh, no one is rushed |
| Acceptable | 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM | 6:00 - 9:00 AM | West Coast needs to be an early riser |
| Acceptable | 3:00 - 5:00 PM | 12:00 - 2:00 PM | East Coast wrapping up their day |
| Avoid | Before 9:00 AM | Before 6:00 AM | West Coast is sleeping |
| Avoid | After 8:00 PM | After 5:00 PM | East Coast is done for the day |
If you lead the meeting: pick 12 PM EST / 9 AM PST. It is the single most popular slot for cross-coast calls. Both sides are awake, caffeinated, and in work mode. I have sat through dozens of 8 AM PST meetings. Nobody on the Pacific side is happy about it.
Need to coordinate across more than just EST and PST? We have a full meeting scheduling guide that covers multi-zone overlap windows for US, Europe, and Asia.
A product launch says "2 PM ET" on the invite. You are in California. That is 11 AM your time. If they wrote "2 PM EST" in summer, they almost certainly meant EDT, which is still 3 hours ahead of PDT. The 3-hour rule works regardless of which abbreviation the organizer used.
"Sale starts at midnight EST." If you are in Seattle, that means 9 PM the night before. Set a reminder for 8:50 PM PST and you will be ready when the page refreshes.
"New episode at 9 PM Eastern / 8 PM Central." Pacific gets it at 6 PM. That has tripped people up for years because networks list Eastern and Central but skip Pacific. Always subtract 3 from the Eastern time.
Your interviewer in Boston says "Let us do 2 PM my time." That is 11 AM if you are in Portland. Confirm the timezone in writing. "Just to confirm, 2 PM EST / 11 AM PST on Tuesday?" Saves everyone from a missed call.
"Applications due by 11:59 PM EST." If you are in San Francisco, you have until 8:59 PM PST. But do not cut it close. Submit by 8:00 PM your time and avoid the server rush.
Need a specific time converted? Enter any time and see it in EST, PST, and every other zone.
Open Timezone ConverterConnecticut, Delaware, Florida (most), Georgia, Indiana (most), Kentucky (eastern), Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan (most), New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee (eastern), Vermont, Virginia, Washington DC, West Virginia.
California, Nevada, Oregon (most), Washington state. Also parts of Idaho.
If someone tells you they are in Texas, that is Central time, not Eastern. Add 1 hour to get EST, subtract 2 to get PST. For a full breakdown of all US zones, check our complete timezone reference guide.
Technically, yes. "EST" means Eastern Standard Time (UTC-5), which only applies November through March. "EDT" means Eastern Daylight Time (UTC-4), used March through November. "ET" (Eastern Time) is the catch-all that covers both.
In practice, most people say "EST" year-round even when they mean EDT. If someone schedules a July meeting at "2 PM EST," they mean 2 PM Eastern. The daylight saving adjustment is already baked into their clock. Same logic for PST vs PT vs PDT.
If you need to be precise (international contracts, server timestamps, flight bookings), use UTC offsets: UTC-5 for EST, UTC-4 for EDT, UTC-8 for PST, UTC-7 for PDT. Our timestamp converter handles UTC offsets if you need exact epoch conversions.
Some organizations (military, aviation, healthcare, international shipping) use 24-hour time. Here is the conversion chart in that format:
| EST (24h) | PST (24h) | Standard Time |
|---|---|---|
| 0000 | 2100 (prev day) | 12 AM / 9 PM |
| 0600 | 0300 | 6 AM / 3 AM |
| 0900 | 0600 | 9 AM / 6 AM |
| 1200 | 0900 | 12 PM / 9 AM |
| 1500 | 1200 | 3 PM / 12 PM |
| 1700 | 1400 | 5 PM / 2 PM |
| 1900 | 1600 | 7 PM / 4 PM |
| 2100 | 1800 | 9 PM / 6 PM |
| 2359 | 2059 | 11:59 PM / 8:59 PM |
If you are converting EST to PST once, the mental math works fine. But if you deal with cross-timezone scheduling regularly, you want something faster:
Reddit users frequently recommend browser-based converters for quick one-off lookups. We covered the full discussion in our Reddit timezone converter roundup.
The US has six time zones total. If you are converting between zones other than Eastern and Pacific:
| From EST → | Difference | Example (3 PM EST) |
|---|---|---|
| CST (Central) | -1 hour | 2:00 PM CST |
| MST (Mountain) | -2 hours | 1:00 PM MST |
| PST (Pacific) | -3 hours | 12:00 PM PST |
| AKST (Alaska) | -4 hours | 11:00 AM AKST |
| HST (Hawaii) | -5 hours | 10:00 AM HST |
Note: Arizona does not observe daylight saving. During DST months, Arizona matches Pacific time instead of Mountain. It catches people off guard every March and November.
Convert between all US time zones and 18+ worldwide zones. Free, instant, no signup.
Open Timezone Converter