AEST to PST
Sydney is 19 hours ahead of Los Angeles from November to March, 17 hours ahead from April to October, and 18 hours ahead in the short gaps between the two daylight-saving schedules. 9:00 AM Monday in Sydney is 2:00 PM Sunday in Los Angeles in January and 4:00 PM Sunday in July.
Convert the other way: PST → AEST
A faster way to do the math
Instead of subtracting 17 to 19 hours, go back a day and add the remainder. In January, take Sydney time, add 5 hours and step back a day: 9:00 AM Monday becomes 2:00 PM Sunday in California. In July add 7 hours and step back a day; during the transition weeks in March, April, October and November add 6. The odd numbers come from two daylight-saving systems running in opposite seasons: Sydney on AEDT (UTC+11) from the first Sunday of October to the first Sunday of April, the US West Coast on PDT (UTC−7) from the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November.
Those offsets make Sydney and California share a calendar date only in the Sydney evening: after 7:00 PM in January and after 5:00 PM in July.
Flights, film and software across the Pacific
Los Angeles is Australia's main gateway to the United States. Westbound flights take about 15 hours and skip a day: a 10:30 PM Tuesday departure from LAX in January lands in Sydney around 8:30 AM on Thursday. The eastbound trip takes about 13 to 14 hours, and an evening departure from Sydney arrives in Los Angeles in the afternoon of the same date.
Hollywood productions regularly shoot in Australia, and Australian software companies such as Atlassian and Canva run large teams in San Francisco. Their shared slot is the California afternoon: 2:00 to 5:00 PM Pacific is 9:00 AM to noon the next day in Sydney in January, while in July the same Sydney morning matches 4:00 to 7:00 PM. The reverse view is on Los Angeles to Sydney.
Cities on these zones
Pacific Time PST
AEST → PST quick reference
Every hour of the day, using today's offsets (daylight saving is applied automatically).
| AEST | PST |
|---|---|
| 12:00 AM | 6:00 AM−1 |
| 1:00 AM | 7:00 AM−1 |
| 2:00 AM | 8:00 AM−1 |
| 3:00 AM | 9:00 AM−1 |
| 4:00 AM | 10:00 AM−1 |
| 5:00 AM | 11:00 AM−1 |
| 6:00 AM | 12:00 PM−1 |
| 7:00 AM | 1:00 PM−1 |
| 8:00 AM | 2:00 PM−1 |
| 9:00 AM | 3:00 PM−1 |
| 10:00 AM | 4:00 PM−1 |
| 11:00 AM | 5:00 PM−1 |
| AEST | PST |
|---|---|
| 12:00 PM | 6:00 PM−1 |
| 1:00 PM | 7:00 PM−1 |
| 2:00 PM | 8:00 PM−1 |
| 3:00 PM | 9:00 PM−1 |
| 4:00 PM | 10:00 PM−1 |
| 5:00 PM | 11:00 PM−1 |
| 6:00 PM | 12:00 AM |
| 7:00 PM | 1:00 AM |
| 8:00 PM | 2:00 AM |
| 9:00 PM | 3:00 AM |
| 10:00 PM | 4:00 AM |
| 11:00 PM | 5:00 AM |
- Difference right now
- PST 18 hours behind AEST
- Shared office hours
- 6 PM–8 PM AEST
- Daylight saving
- Both zones shift their clocks
Clock changes this year
- Apr 5, 2026AEST: clocks go back, UTC+11 → UTC+10
- Oct 4, 2026AEST: clocks go forward, UTC+10 → UTC+11
- Mar 8, 2026PST: clocks go forward, UTC−8 → UTC−7
- Nov 1, 2026PST: clocks go back, UTC−7 → UTC−8
Other conversions with these zones
Frequently asked questions
- How many hours behind Sydney is Los Angeles?
- 19 hours from early November to mid-March, 18 hours during the transition weeks in March–April and October–November, and 17 hours from early April to early October.
- What is 9 AM in Sydney in California time?
- 2:00 PM the previous day in January, 3:00 PM during the transition weeks and 4:00 PM in July.
- How long is the flight from Sydney to Los Angeles, and when do you land?
- About 13 to 14 hours. Because you cross the date line eastbound, an evening departure from Sydney lands in Los Angeles in the afternoon of the same calendar day.
- When does Sydney start daylight saving time?
- On the first Sunday of October, ending on the first Sunday of April. Queensland, including Brisbane, does not take part.