Guide
PST, EST and UK time to Pakistan time (PKT): a guide for freelancers and agencies
Pakistan has some of the world's busiest freelancers and software agencies, and most of their clients are in the US and the UK. That means converting PST, EST and UK time to Pakistan time every day. This guide has the numbers for the whole year, the dates when they change, and the meeting windows that work for both sides.
Quick answer: Pakistan time (PKT) is UTC+5 all year. Pakistan doesn't use daylight saving time, so the gap changes when the US and the UK change their clocks.
- Los Angeles (Pacific time): Pakistan is 13 hours ahead in winter (PST), 12 hours in summer (PDT).
- New York (Eastern time): 10 hours ahead in winter (EST), 9 hours in summer (EDT).
- Chicago (Central time): 11 hours ahead in winter (CST), 10 hours in summer (CDT).
- London (UK time): 5 hours ahead in winter (GMT), 4 hours in summer (BST).
Careful: "PST" can mean Pakistan or Pacific
Pakistan's time zone is officially called Pakistan Standard Time, which some people shorten to PST. Americans read PST as Pacific Standard Time, 13 hours away. Always write PKT or "Pakistan time", and give US times as "Pacific time" or "Los Angeles time".
US and UK office hours in Pakistan time
Find your client's hour on the left; the right-hand columns are the time in Karachi, Lahore or Islamabad.
Pacific time (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle)
| Pacific time | PKT, November to March (PST) | PKT, March to November (PDT) |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 am | 21:00 (9 pm) | 20:00 (8 pm) |
| 9:00 am | 22:00 (10 pm) | 21:00 (9 pm) |
| 10:00 am | 23:00 (11 pm) | 22:00 (10 pm) |
| 11:00 am | 00:00 (midnight), next day | 23:00 (11 pm) |
| 12:00 pm (noon) | 01:00, next day | 00:00 (midnight), next day |
| 2:00 pm | 03:00, next day | 02:00, next day |
| 5:00 pm | 06:00, next day | 05:00, next day |
Eastern time (New York, Boston, Miami, Toronto)
| Eastern time | PKT, November to March (EST) | PKT, March to November (EDT) |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 am | 18:00 (6 pm) | 17:00 (5 pm) |
| 9:00 am | 19:00 (7 pm) | 18:00 (6 pm) |
| 10:00 am | 20:00 (8 pm) | 19:00 (7 pm) |
| 11:00 am | 21:00 (9 pm) | 20:00 (8 pm) |
| 12:00 pm (noon) | 22:00 (10 pm) | 21:00 (9 pm) |
| 2:00 pm | 00:00 (midnight), next day | 23:00 (11 pm) |
| 5:00 pm | 03:00, next day | 02:00, next day |
UK time (London, Manchester, Edinburgh)
| UK time | PKT, late October to late March (GMT) | PKT, late March to late October (BST) |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 | 14:00 | 13:00 |
| 10:00 | 15:00 | 14:00 |
| 12:00 | 17:00 | 16:00 |
| 14:00 | 19:00 | 18:00 |
| 17:00 | 22:00 | 21:00 |
The dates when the gap changes
| Date | What happens | Effect in Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday 25 October 2026 | UK clocks go back | London becomes 5 hours behind |
| Sunday 1 November 2026 | US clocks go back | New York 10 hours behind, Los Angeles 13 |
| Sunday 14 March 2027 | US clocks go forward | New York 9 hours behind, Los Angeles 12 |
| Sunday 28 March 2027 | UK clocks go forward | London becomes 4 hours behind |
| Sunday 31 October 2027 | UK clocks go back | London 5 hours behind |
| Sunday 7 November 2027 | US clocks go back | New York 10 hours behind, Los Angeles 13 |
Your recurring client calls move by an hour on your clock on each of these dates, even though nothing changed for the client. Check them the week before.
Meeting times that work for both sides
- UK clients: the easiest. 13:00–17:00 PKT in the UK summer and 14:00–17:00 in the UK winter are inside both working days.
- US East Coast clients: their morning is your evening. 18:00–21:00 PKT from March to November, 19:00–22:00 from November to March.
- US West Coast clients: there are no shared office hours. Their 9:00–11:00 am is 21:00–23:00 PKT in summer and 22:00–00:00 in winter. Keep these calls short and few, and do the rest in writing.
- Working with US clients every day: shift your day rather than lengthening it, for example 14:00–22:00 PKT.
Local things your clients may not know
- Friday prayers. Many offices in Pakistan take a longer break around Friday midday prayers. Avoid booking client calls in that window.
- Eid holidays move every year. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha follow the lunar calendar and are confirmed only shortly before, so tell clients early that you'll be away around those dates.
- Write your hours in both zones. "I'm available 18:00–22:00 PKT (9:00 am–1:00 pm New York)" sets expectations without any maths for the client.
More tips for writing times clearly: how to write time zones in an email.
Built in Lahore for exactly this. AlignHour is made by CelaVox, a startup in Lahore. Pick a time on your client's clock, and AlignHour shows it in Pakistan time and in every guest's time, flags public holidays in both countries, and sends the invite from your Google Calendar.
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