Los Angeles to London time difference
London is 7 or 8 hours ahead of Los Angeles depending on which side of daylight saving each city is on. Most of the year the gap is exactly 8 hours; for a few weeks each spring and autumn it dips to 7 because the US and UK change their clocks on different weekends. Here's the full picture, plus the meeting windows that actually work between California and the UK.
Why the offset is mostly 8 hours, sometimes 7
Both cities observe daylight saving, but on slightly different schedules. The United States springs forward on the second Sunday of March and falls back on the first Sunday of November. The United Kingdom springs forward on the last Sunday of March and falls back on the last Sunday of October. For about three weeks in March and one week in late October–early November, only one of the two cities has shifted — and the gap drops to 7 hours.
| Period (approx.) | Los Angeles | London | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early Nov – mid-Mar | PST (UTC−8) | GMT (UTC+0) | 8 hours |
| Mid-Mar – late Mar | PDT (UTC−7) | GMT (UTC+0) | 7 hours |
| Late Mar – late Oct | PDT (UTC−7) | BST (UTC+1) | 8 hours |
| Late Oct – early Nov | PDT (UTC−7) | GMT (UTC+0) | 7 hours |
Best meeting times between LA and London
With London 7–8 hours ahead, the practical overlap is the LA morning vs. the London afternoon and early evening. Anything before 08:00 in LA equals 16:00–17:00 in London, which is the perfect "wrap-up" slot.
- LA morning ↔ London afternoon: 08:00–10:00 in LA equals 16:00–18:00 in London. Best window for both sides.
- LA early morning ↔ London end of day: 07:00 in LA equals 15:00 in London. Great for short syncs.
- Avoid: any LA afternoon meeting — London is into the evening or asleep.
Common conversion table
Assumes the standard 8-hour offset (LA on PST, London on GMT, or LA on PDT, London on BST).
| Los Angeles | London | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 14:00 | Excellent for short London sync |
| 08:00 | 16:00 | Best mutual window |
| 10:00 | 18:00 | End of London day |
| 13:00 | 21:00 | Late for London |
| 17:00 | 01:00 (next day) | Avoid |
Watch out for the DST gap weeks
For about three weeks each spring and one week each autumn, the offset between Los Angeles and London is 7 hours instead of 8. If you have recurring meetings anchored to a specific UK time, those meetings will appear an hour earlier in LA for a few weeks. Either re-anchor the meeting to the LA time zone, or warn the team explicitly. Calendar invites that store the original time zone will adjust automatically; meetings copy-pasted into emails will not.
Travel and developer notes
LA → London is a long eastbound flight that effectively burns a calendar day;
the return leg lands the same day you take off. For software that crosses these
zones, store everything in UTC and convert with
America/Los_Angeles and Europe/London. Don't hard-code
UTC−8 or UTC+0; both cities change offset twice a year.
FAQ
Is London always 8 hours ahead of LA?
Almost. It is 8 hours for most of the year and 7 hours for a few weeks each spring and autumn during the DST mismatch.
What is the best time for an LA-London call?
LA 08:00–10:00, which is London 16:00–18:00. Late afternoon in London is a comfortable wrap-up slot.
Can I share a working day across LA and London?
Yes, for a 2–3 hour window. Beyond that, one side is starting and the other is ending.