2024 schedule
| Change | Date | Local time | What happens |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clocks go forward | Sunday, March 31, 2024 | 2:00 AM | Jumps to 3:00 AM — one hour is lost |
| Clocks go back | Sunday, October 27, 2024 | 3:00 AM | Returns to 2:00 AM — one hour is gained |
Netherlands keeps CET in winter and shifts one hour forward for the summer.
Time until the next change
Current local time:
Agricultural Considerations
The story that DST was introduced for farmers has it exactly backwards. Farmers in Netherlands and elsewhere were among its most persistent opponents, and the American farm lobby successfully campaigned to have national DST repealed after the First World War.
The reason is straightforward: farm work follows the sun, not the clock. Moving the clock forward just means doing the same work an hour earlier by the clock, while deliveries, markets and hired labour all shift with it. Dairy farmers make the point most often, since cows keep to their own schedule and take several days to adjust to a changed milking time.
Getting ready
- Take advantage of the 'extra' hour in fall to catch up on sleep or tackle a project.
- Update your car clock, microwave, and other manual clocks that don't auto-update.
- Check and replace smoke detector batteries when changing clocks - it's a good reminder!
- Set your clocks before going to bed to avoid confusion in the morning.
Frequently asked questions
When do the clocks change in Netherlands in 2024?
Clocks go forward on Sunday, March 31, 2024 and back on Sunday, October 27, 2024.
Which way do the clocks go?
"Spring forward, fall back" is the usual mnemonic: forward one hour in spring, back one hour in autumn.
Do I have to change anything myself?
Phones, computers and anything that syncs over the internet update on their own. Car clocks, ovens, microwaves and older wall clocks generally do not.
Is Daylight Saving Time being scrapped?
It has been proposed in many places and adopted in few. The European Parliament voted in 2019 to end mandatory clock changes and the change has stalled; in the United States the Sunshine Protection Act has repeatedly passed the Senate without becoming law. Most of the world that changes its clocks is still changing them.