Why does India have a half-hour offset?

India uses the 82.5°E meridian, which creates a UTC+5:30 offset. This was chosen as a compromise between the eastern and western extremes of the country. It is deliberate, not a quirk.

Is the gap the same for all US time zones?

No. Each US time zone adds one hour to the gap from Eastern. Central is one hour behind Eastern, Mountain is two hours behind, Pacific is three hours behind. The pattern holds for both standard and daylight time.

Does Arizona or any US state use a different DST rule?

Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) does not observe DST and stays on MST all year. The gap between IST and Phoenix is always 12.5 hours. Hawaii also does not observe DST.

What is the best time to call India from the US?

A typical overlap for a business call is 07:00 to 10:00 Eastern Time, which is 17:00 to 20:00 IST. For detailed scheduling advice, see the Best Time to Call India From the US guide.

Where can I convert IST to other time zones?

The IST Converter page handles any zone, including European, Gulf and Australian time zones. For a deeper breakdown of the EST and PST differences, see IST to EST and PST.

India and USA Time

What time is it in India right now compared to the US?

New Delhi runs on India Standard Time (IST), a fixed UTC+5:30 offset. The US side moves. In January, Los Angeles is 13.5 hours behind New Delhi. By July, that gap shrinks to 12.5 hours. The live clocks above track the current difference across all four mainland US zones. India never changes its clocks, so the offset you see depends entirely on whether the US is observing standard time or daylight saving time.

IST to Eastern Time (EST/EDT)

Eastern Time covers New York, Washington DC, Boston, Atlanta and Miami.

EST (winter, early November to early March): IST is 10.5 hours ahead. When it is 12:00 in New Delhi, it is 01:30 in New York on the same date.
EDT (summer, early March to early November): IST is 9.5 hours ahead. When it is 12:00 in New Delhi, it is 02:30 in New York on the same date.

The switch to EDT happens on the second Sunday of March. The switch back to EST happens on the first Sunday of November.

IST to Central Time (CST/CDT)

Central Time covers Chicago, Dallas, Houston and Minneapolis.

CST (winter): IST is 11.5 hours ahead. 12:00 New Delhi = 00:30 Chicago.
CDT (summer): IST is 10.5 hours ahead. 12:00 New Delhi = 01:30 Chicago.

IST to Mountain Time (MST/MDT)

Mountain Time covers Denver, Salt Lake City and Phoenix. Arizona does not observe DST, so Phoenix stays on MST year-round.

MST (winter): IST is 12.5 hours ahead. 12:00 New Delhi = 23:30 Denver the day before.
MDT (summer): IST is 11.5 hours ahead. 12:00 New Delhi = 00:30 Denver on the same date.

IST to Pacific Time (PST/PDT)

Pacific Time covers Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle and Portland.

PST (winter): IST is 13.5 hours ahead. 12:00 New Delhi = 22:30 Los Angeles the day before.
PDT (summer): IST is 12.5 hours ahead. 12:00 New Delhi = 23:30 Los Angeles the day before.

When does US daylight saving change the IST gap?

The US DST period runs on different dates from Europe. For 2026:

DST starts: Sunday 8 March 2026 (clocks spring forward)
DST ends: Sunday 1 November 2026 (clocks fall back)

From 8 March through 1 November, use the EDT, CDT, MDT and PDT numbers above. The rest of the year, use EST, CST, MST and PST.

India stays on IST at UTC+5:30 the entire year. No exceptions since 1971.

Quick reference: IST to US time at a glance

IST (New Delhi)	EST (winter)	EDT (summer)	PST (winter)	PDT (summer)
06:00	19:30 prior day	20:30 prior day	16:30 prior day	17:30 prior day
09:00	22:30 prior day	23:30 prior day	19:30 prior day	20:30 prior day
12:00	01:30 same day	02:30 same day	22:30 prior day	23:30 prior day
15:00	04:30 same day	05:30 same day	01:30 same day	02:30 same day
18:00	07:30 same day	08:30 same day	04:30 same day	05:30 same day
21:00	10:30 same day	11:30 same day	07:30 same day	08:30 same day
00:00	13:30 prior day	14:30 prior day	10:30 prior day	11:30 prior day