Best time to schedule calls between Europe and the US
Updated 2026-09-19
Europe and the US share only a few working hours. Most of the overlap is Europe's afternoon and America's morning, and how much of it you get depends on which cities you are connecting.
How big the gap is
London is normally 5 hours ahead of New York and 6 hours ahead of Chicago. Central European cities such as Paris and Berlin are one hour further ahead: 6 hours ahead of New York and 7 ahead of Chicago. Los Angeles is 8 hours behind London and 9 behind Paris.
The overlap on a 09:00–17:00 day
London and New York share three hours: 14:00–17:00 in London is 09:00–12:00 in New York. Paris or Berlin and New York share two: 15:00–17:00 in Paris is 09:00–11:00 in New York.
The US West Coast is harder. With a 09:00–17:00 day on both sides, London and Los Angeles do not overlap at all, and Paris and Los Angeles are a further hour apart. Calls between them mean an early start in California, a late finish in Europe, or both.
Which slot to pick
For the East Coast, the middle of the shared window is the safest choice: about 15:00 in London or 16:00 in Paris, which is 10:00 in New York. Nobody is at the start or the very end of their day.
Try not to use the same inconvenient slot every time. If one side always takes the early or late call, alternate it week by week.
The weeks when the gap changes
Europe and the US change their clocks on different dates. The US moves on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November, Europe on the last Sunday of March and October. For two to three weeks in spring and one week in autumn, the gap between London and New York is 4 hours instead of 5, and between Paris and New York 5 instead of 6.
A recurring meeting that worked all winter can suddenly land an hour off in those weeks. Check the actual date you are booking, not the gap you remember.
Check your cities
The converters below show the overlap and the time in both cities for any hour you pick.