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When does daylight saving time start again in Australia – and what happens if you’re working when clocks change?

Early on Sunday clocks in NSW, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT will go forward one hour. Here’s what you need to know – and how it will affect you

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It’s that time of year again: clocks will move forward one hour on Sunday in many parts of Australia as daylight saving time comes into effect.

Daylight saving returns on the first Sunday of October every year and ends on the first Sunday of April.

In 2026, daylight saving time will recommence on Sunday 4 October at 2am Australian eastern standard time (AEST).

Daylight saving starts this Sunday: What to expect

Daylight saving time begins this Sunday, October 4, with clocks set to move forward an hour, meaning millions of Australians will lose an hour of sleep. Read on for when clocks change, how to adjust and what it means for travel.

Daylight saving time begins early Sunday morning, October 4, with clocks moving forward an hour at 2am, meaning millions of Australians will wake up having lost an hour of sleep.

It comes as clocks in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania and the ACT jump to 3am, while South Australia also switches to daylight saving time.

For those affected, the change will result in brighter evenings, darker mornings, and a one-hour time difference from states that remain on standard time.

How daylight saving leaves one Australian border town operating on two different clocks

SBS acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country and their connections and continuous care for the skies, lands and waterways throughout Australia.

In the wee hours of Sunday morning, daylight saving kicks in for the long Australian summer, when clocks skip forward by an hour from 2am to 3am.

But while the citizens of NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and the ACT will enjoy an extra hour of sunshine after clocking off, Queensland remains the eastern seaboard outlier.

Daylight saving is an annual talking point on the Gold Coast, with Mayor Tom Tate on Wednesday reiterating calls for daylight saving to be introduced in Queensland's southeast corner.

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