What is the time difference between Toronto and Chicago?

Chicago is 1 hour behind Toronto. That figure is current — it changes by an hour when either city starts or ends daylight saving, and the exact dates are listed above.

When is the best time to call Chicago from Toronto?

Between 10:00–18:00 in Toronto, which is 09:00–17:00 in Chicago. That is the only stretch where both cities are inside a 09:00–18:00 day.

Does Toronto observe daylight saving time?

Yes. Toronto runs on UTC-5 in winter and UTC-4 in summer. The next change is on 2026-11-01, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.

Does Chicago observe daylight saving time?

Yes. Chicago runs on UTC-6 in winter and UTC-5 in summer. The next change is on 2026-11-01, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.

If it is midday in Toronto, what time is it in Chicago?

It is 11:00 in Chicago, on the same calendar date. That holds for the current offsets; it shifts by an hour around the daylight saving dates listed above.

Which time zones do Toronto and Chicago use?

Toronto uses America/Toronto, currently UTC-4 (EDT), and Chicago uses America/Chicago, currently UTC-5 (CDT). Those identifiers are the ones to use in code — abbreviations are ambiguous and offsets change.

Convert Toronto time to Chicago time

Right now Chicago runs 1 hour behind Toronto. That gap is not fixed: it moves when either city changes its clocks.

Convert a time

From

Date

Time

Converted time

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The converter needs JavaScript to run. Everything below — offsets, daylight saving dates and the hour-by-hour table — is part of the page and works without it.

Hour by hour

Every hour of a day in Toronto, and what the clock reads in Chicago at that same moment.

Toronto	Chicago
00:00	23:00previous day
01:00	00:00
02:00	01:00
03:00	02:00
04:00	03:00
05:00	04:00
06:00	05:00
07:00	06:00
08:00	07:00
09:00	08:00
10:00	09:00
11:00	10:00
12:00	11:00
13:00	12:00
14:00	13:00
15:00	14:00
16:00	15:00
17:00	16:00
18:00	17:00
19:00	18:00
20:00	19:00
21:00	20:00
22:00	21:00
23:00	22:00

Daylight saving time

Both cities change their clocks, but not necessarily on the same date — which is why the difference between them shifts for a few weeks each year.

Toronto

Observes daylight saving time

Standard: UTC-5
Daylight: UTC-4
Next change: 2026-11-01 −60m

Chicago

Observes daylight saving time

Standard: UTC-6
Daylight: UTC-5
Next change: 2026-11-01 −60m

When you can actually talk

You have 8 hours of shared working time: 10:00–18:00 in Toronto, which is 09:00–17:00 in Chicago.

Toronto 10:00–18:00Chicago 09:00–17:00

Reference

The zone identifiers and offsets behind everything above.

	Toronto	Chicago
IANA zone	America/Toronto	America/Chicago
Abbreviation	EDT	CDT
Standard offset	UTC-5	UTC-6
Daylight offset	UTC-4	UTC-5
Clock changes this year	2	2
Country	Canada	United States

Example, not the current time. Live times appear once the page loads.

Common questions

What is the time difference between Toronto and Chicago?: Chicago is 1 hour behind Toronto. That figure is current — it changes by an hour when either city starts or ends daylight saving, and the exact dates are listed above.
When is the best time to call Chicago from Toronto?: Between 10:00–18:00 in Toronto, which is 09:00–17:00 in Chicago. That is the only stretch where both cities are inside a 09:00–18:00 day.
Does Toronto observe daylight saving time?: Yes. Toronto runs on UTC-5 in winter and UTC-4 in summer. The next change is on 2026-11-01, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.
Does Chicago observe daylight saving time?: Yes. Chicago runs on UTC-6 in winter and UTC-5 in summer. The next change is on 2026-11-01, when clocks go back by 60 minutes.
If it is midday in Toronto, what time is it in Chicago?: It is 11:00 in Chicago, on the same calendar date. That holds for the current offsets; it shifts by an hour around the daylight saving dates listed above.
Which time zones do Toronto and Chicago use?: Toronto uses America/Toronto, currently UTC-4 (EDT), and Chicago uses America/Chicago, currently UTC-5 (CDT). Those identifiers are the ones to use in code — abbreviations are ambiguous and offsets change.