Time in Ottawa, Canada 🇨🇦
The current local time in Ottawa, Canada is shown below — the city is in the America/Toronto time zone (UTC -04:00 · EDT).
Ottawa local time
Thursday, 22 October 2026 EDT
Ottawa at a glance
- Time zone
America/Toronto· Eastern Standard Time- UTC offset now
- -04:00 EDT
- Daylight saving
- Yes · UTC -05:00 / -04:00
- Coordinates
- 45.42° N, 75.70° W
- Population
- 1,017,449
- Country
- Canada · ISO CA
- Dialing code
- +1
- Currency
- Canadian Dollar (CAD)
- Work week
- Monday to Friday
- Drives on the
- Right
Ottawa right now
Time difference
Ottawa is shown here relative to your device's time zone.
Planning a call? Compare hours side by side in the time zone converter.
Upcoming public holidays
- Remembrance Day Wed, Nov 11, 2026
- Christmas Day Fri, Dec 25, 2026
- Boxing Day Sat, Dec 26, 2026
- New Year's Day Fri, Jan 1, 2027
Sun today
Sunrise 07:29 · Sunset 18:07
Day length 10h 38m · twilight and monthly table →
Ottawa time vs. UTC
A 09:00–17:00 working day in Ottawa overlaps with 09:00–17:00 UTC from 09:00 to 13:00 Ottawa time. Open this page in your browser and the second row switches to your own time zone.
| Ottawa | 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 | 04:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTC | 04:00 | 05:00 | 06:00 | 07:00 | 08:00 | 09:00 | 10:00 | 11:00 | 12:00 | 13:00 | 14:00 | 15:00 | 16:00 | 17:00 | 18:00 | 19:00 | 20:00 | 21:00 | 22:00 | 23:00 | 00:00 | 01:00 | 02:00 | 03:00 |
- Office hours 09–17
- Awake, off work
- Night 22–07
Ottawa vs. major cities
How far Ottawa is from the world's main business centres right now, what time it is there when the working day starts in Ottawa, and which hours of a 09:00–17:00 day the two places share. Daylight saving changes are applied automatically.
| City | Difference | At 09:00 in Ottawa | Shared office hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York · United States | Same time | 09:00 | 09:00–17:00 |
| Los Angeles · United States | −3 h | 06:00 | 12:00–17:00 |
| São Paulo · Brazil | +1 h | 10:00 | 09:00–16:00 |
| London · United Kingdom | +5 h | 14:00 | 09:00–12:00 |
| Paris · France | +6 h | 15:00 | 09:00–11:00 |
| Johannesburg · South Africa | +6 h | 15:00 | 09:00–11:00 |
| Dubai · United Arab Emirates | +8 h | 17:00 | None |
| Delhi · India | +9:30 h | 18:30 | None |
| Singapore · Singapore | +12 h | 21:00 | None |
| Beijing · China | +12 h | 21:00 | None |
Shared office hours are shown in Ottawa time. Compare any set of cities hour by hour in the time zone converter, or pick a slot that suits everyone with the event planner.
Cities near Ottawa
The closest places to Ottawa among the cities we track, measured in a straight line from the city centre. Some of them keep a different clock, so check the time difference before crossing a border or booking a call.
| City | Distance | Time difference |
|---|---|---|
| Montréal | 170 km (100 mi) east | Same time |
| Toronto | 350 km (220 mi) southwest | Same time |
| Boston · United States | 500 km (310 mi) southeast | Same time |
| New York · United States | 540 km (340 mi) south | Same time |
| Philadelphia · United States | 610 km (380 mi) south | Same time |
| Detroit · United States | 680 km (420 mi) southwest | Same time |
| Washington · United States | 730 km (460 mi) south | Same time |
| Halifax | 960 km (590 mi) east | +1 h |
Distances are great-circle distances. A plus sign means the other city is ahead of Ottawa.
Clock time vs. sun time in Ottawa
Ottawa's standard offset, UTC -05:00, is based on the 75° W meridian; the city itself lies at 75.70° W, 0.7° west of it. Its clocks are therefore within 3 minutes of local solar time in standard time (1 h 3 min off during daylight saving time). Solar noon — when the sun is highest — falls between 11:47 (around 5 November) and 13:13 (around 12 March) on the clock.
How dates and times are written in Ottawa
- Short date
- 2026-10-22 · YYYY-MM-DD
- Long date
- October 22, 2026
- Time
- 3:30 p.m. · 12-hour clock
- Week starts on
- Sunday
Examples show 22 October 2026 at 15:30 using the Unicode CLDR conventions for en-CA, Canada's most common locale. Businesses and English-language sources may use other formats.
Clock changes in Ottawa
Ottawa has alternated between UTC -05:00 in standard time and UTC -04:00 in daylight saving time since at least 1970. Clocks currently go forward on the second Sunday in March and back on the first Sunday in November, a rule in place since 2007.
| Date | Change | Local clock | New offset |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunday, 8 March 2026 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC -04:00 |
| Sunday, 1 November 2026 | Back 1 hour | 02:00 → 01:00 | UTC -05:00 |
| Sunday, 14 March 2027 | Forward 1 hour | 02:00 → 03:00 | UTC -04:00 |
| Sunday, 7 November 2027 | Back 1 hour | 02:00 → 01:00 | UTC -05:00 |
When clocks go forward, sunrise and sunset both happen an hour later by the clock — darker mornings, lighter evenings — and the night of the change is an hour shorter. When they go back, the reverse applies.
Source: IANA tz database, as shipped with the Unicode ICU library.
Daylight in Ottawa through the year
The longest day in Ottawa is 21 June with 15h 40m of daylight; the shortest is 22 December with 8h 43m. Day length swings by 6 h 58 min over the year. The earliest sunrise is at 05:15 on 9 June and the latest sunset at 20:56 on 21 June — not on the solstice itself, because solar noon drifts through the year.
Frequently asked questions
What time zone is Ottawa in?
Ottawa uses the America/Toronto time zone (EST / EDT): UTC -05:00 in standard time and UTC -04:00 during daylight saving time. Canada spans more than one time zone, so other cities in the country may show a different time.
Does Ottawa observe daylight saving time?
Yes. In 2026 clocks in Ottawa go forward on Sunday, 8 March 2026 at 02:00 and back on Sunday, 1 November 2026 at 02:00.
When is the longest day of the year in Ottawa?
Around 21 June, with 15h 40m of daylight. The shortest day is around 22 December, with 8h 43m.
What is the dialing code for Ottawa?
To call Ottawa from abroad, dial your international access code, then Canada's country code +1, then the local number without its leading trunk prefix.
What are normal working days in Ottawa?
The standard work week in Canada runs Monday to Friday, with the weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Keep this in mind when scheduling calls from countries with a different weekend.
What is the nearest city to Ottawa on a different time?
Of the 189 cities we track, the closest one keeping a different clock is Halifax, about 960 km (590 mi) to the east. It is 1 h ahead of Ottawa.
How are dates and times written in Ottawa?
Following the en-CA conventions in the Unicode CLDR, a short date is written YYYY-MM-DD (2026-10-22) and times usually use the 12-hour clock (3:30 p.m.). Calendars start the week on Sunday.
Explore more for Ottawa
Everything else we track for Ottawa: daylight, weather, the country overview, and the exact time-zone references.