PST to CST Converter (Pacific Time to Central Time)

CST is 2 hours ahead of PST.

Pacific Time runs two hours behind Central Time, so a West Coast reader adds two hours to find the time in Chicago, Dallas, Houston or Minneapolis. The rule is the same all year, because the Pacific and Central zones begin and end daylight saving time together.

The conversion is common for people who work remotely from Seattle or Los Angeles for an employer headquartered in the Midwest or Texas. Their day starts before the head office, and the contracts, payroll cut-offs and meetings are almost always written in Central Time.

How to use this tool

1. Pick a date and time in PST. The date matters when daylight saving time is in force.
2. Read the matching time in CST, with both UTC offsets.
3. Use "Use current time" for now, or the tables below for a quick look.

Formula

CST time = PST time − (PST UTC offset) + (CST UTC offset)

The converter looks up both UTC offsets for the actual instant in the saved IANA time zone rules, so daylight saving changes are included automatically.

Example

Worked with the saved rules:

9:00 AM PST on March 2, 2026 = 11:00 AM CST

6:30 PM PDT on August 3, 2026 = 8:30 PM CDT

Time difference through the year

The difference depends on the date when either place moves its clocks. These are the offsets on two reference days, from the saved IANA rules:

Clock changes in 2026

Between these dates the difference shifts by the size of the change.

PST to CST time table

Each hour in Pacific Time with the matching Central Time time.

CST to PST time table

Each hour in Central Time with the matching Pacific Time time.

Hours that work in both places

Hours (on the January reference day) that fall between 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM in both PST and CST:

When the head office is in the Central zone

A Pacific worker with a 9:00 a.m. Central start has to be online at 7:00 a.m. their own time. Many companies that span the coasts therefore set core hours of 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Central, which are 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the Pacific clock.

Weekly report deadlines are another trap. A submission window that closes at midnight Central closes at 10:00 p.m. Pacific, so a Pacific worker who counts on the late evening loses two hours.

Live events and travel

Concerts and games in Chicago or Dallas are listed in local time, and on a Pacific clock they start two hours earlier: a 7:30 p.m. Central start is 5:30 p.m. in Los Angeles, which is why West Coast fans of Central-time teams often watch in the late afternoon.

Flights from the West Coast to Chicago gain two clock hours. A flight of about four hours that leaves Los Angeles at 8:00 a.m. lands in Chicago at about 2:00 p.m. local time, because the two clock hours are added to the flight time.