What is UTC-8?
Eight hours behind Coordinated Universal Time. When it is 12:00 UTC, it is 04:00 in a place on UTC-8.
This offset is the standard winter time for a large part of North America's west coast and the year-round time for a few remote islands in the Pacific.
Pacific Standard Time as UTC-8
Pacific Standard Time (PST) is UTC-8. PST is the winter name for the time used in California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and parts of British Columbia and Baja California.
PST is in effect from the first Sunday of November to the second Sunday of March. During the rest of the year, these places switch to Pacific Daylight Time (PDT), which is UTC-7.
Key rule: If you see "PST" and the date is between the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November, the clock is almost certainly wrong. That is PDT, not PST.
The representative IANA zone for PST is America/Los_Angeles.
Other time zones at UTC-8 year-round
Two inhabited places use UTC-8 all year, with no daylight saving time:
- Pitcairn Islands (British Overseas Territory). The IANA zone is Pacific/Pitcairn.
- Clipperton Island (French overseas possession, uninhabited).
Pitcairn Standard Time (also abbreviated PST) is UTC-8 year-round. This causes abbreviation confusion: the same three letters mean Pacific Standard Time (UTC-8 in winter only) and Philippine Standard Time (UTC+8, the opposite side of the planet).
Places that use UTC-8 during standard time only
During standard time (the first Sunday of November to the second Sunday of March), these regions use UTC-8:
| Region | Representative IANA zone | Major cities |
|---|---|---|
| US West Coast | America/Los_Angeles | Los Angeles, San Diego, San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Las Vegas, Sacramento, Fresno, Long Beach |
| Canadian West Coast | America/Vancouver | Vancouver, Surrey |
| Mexican border (Baja California) | America/Tijuana | Tijuana, Mexicali, Ensenada |
These regions switch to UTC-7 (PDT) during daylight saving time.
UTC-8 vs UTC-7: the DST distinction
The practical problem: people say "Pacific Time" or "PST" year-round, but the offset changes.
- UTC-8 (PST) : standard time, roughly November to March.
- UTC-7 (PDT) : daylight time, roughly March to November.
The 2026 and 2027 transition dates:
- Spring forward 2026: Sunday 8 March, 02:00 → 03:00 (PST to PDT, UTC-8 to UTC-7)
- Fall back 2026: Sunday 1 November, 02:00 → 01:00 (PDT to PST, UTC-7 to UTC-8)
- Spring forward 2027: Sunday 14 March, 02:00 → 03:00
- Fall back 2027: Sunday 7 November, 02:00 → 01:00
During PDT, Pacific Time is UTC-7, not UTC-8. If you schedule a meeting in July using UTC-8, you will be one hour early.
How UTC-8 relates to GMT-8
GMT-8 and UTC-8 are the same offset. In casual use, GMT (Greenwich Mean Time) and UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) are interchangeable for telling time. The technical difference (GMT is a time zone, UTC is a time standard) rarely matters when you are scheduling a call.
IANA time zones at UTC-8
The IANA time zone database uses these identifiers for places on UTC-8:
| IANA zone | Location | DST observed? |
|---|---|---|
| America/Los_Angeles | US West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington, Nevada) | Yes |
| America/Tijuana | Baja California (Mexico border) | Yes |
| America/Vancouver | British Columbia (Canada) | Yes |
| Pacific/Pitcairn | Pitcairn Islands | No |
How UTC-8 compares to other major zones
On 15 January 2026 (PST, UTC-8):
| City | Offset from UTC-8 |
|---|---|
| New York | +3 hours |
| London | +8 hours |
| Paris | +9 hours |
| Dubai | +12 hours |
| Mumbai | +13.5 hours |
| Singapore | +16 hours |
| Tokyo | +17 hours |
| Sydney | +19 hours |
| Johannesburg | +10 hours |
| São Paulo | +5 hours |
| Chicago | +2 hours |
On 15 July 2026 (PDT, UTC-7), these differences shrink by one hour for cities that do not observe DST (Tokyo, Singapore, Dubai, Mumbai) and stay the same for cities that also shift to DST (London, Paris, New York).
What this means for you
Booking a meeting with someone in Los Angeles, Vancouver, or Tijuana:
- From the first Sunday of November to the second Sunday of March, use UTC-8 (PST).
- From the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November, use UTC-7 (PDT).
- When in doubt, ask for "Pacific Time" and check the date.
The next change: Sunday 8 March 2026 at 02:00 local, clocks move forward to 03:00. UTC-8 becomes UTC-7. If you are on UTC-8 year-round (Pitcairn, Clipperton), nothing changes for you.