Many Australians have said goodbye to long warmer days and hello to an extra hour of sleep as the temperature begins to cool.
Here’s what you need to know about the end of daylight saving time – and how it will affect you.
When does daylight saving end?
Daylight saving time for 2025 ended on Sunday 6 April at 3am Australian eastern daylight time (AEDT).
Clocks moved back one hour to 2am, giving people more daylight in the mornings and less in the evenings.
Daylight saving ends every year on the first Sunday of April, and returns on the first Sunday of October.
Do clocks go back or forward in April?
Clocks move backwards.
Most smart devices will automatically adjust for daylight saving and should move back early on Sunday morning.
However, you will need to manually adjust the time on your oven, microwave and any analogue clocks or watches by setting it to an hour earlier.
Which states have daylight saving time?
New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Tasmania and the Australian Capital Territory all observe daylight saving.
Queensland, Western Australia and the Northern Territory do not observe daylight saving, so they won’t gain or lose an hour.
Why do we have daylight saving?
If you live a fair way away from the equator, in summer the days are a lot longer than the nights, says Prof Tim Bedding, an astrophysics researcher at the University of Sydney.
This would mean a lot of light filling bedrooms quite early in the morning, so some states and areas make the change to enjoy that light at the end of the day instead.
But some states don’t need to switch the clocks, Bedding says. “If you live near the equator, for example in Queensland, it’s less of an effect because the difference between day and night is not as great.”
How does daylight savings affect your sleep health?
Adapting to a slightly different sleep schedule can be tricky, according to Reece Kemp, a research assistant and sleep expert at the Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute (FHMRI).
“Our research shows that sleep naturally adapts over time, however if you personally struggle with DST [daylight saving time] transitions, preparation can help,” Kemp says.
“There’s no need for drastic changes to your sleep schedule weeks in advance; it’s more about making small adjustments in the days leading up to the transition.”
A benefit of daylight saving ending is that our sleep schedule can more easily shift earlier, Kemp says, and this can be help those who would like an earlier sleep schedule but struggle to make the change.
“For instance, if you typically sleep from 11pm to 7am, after coming off [daylight saving], your body’s natural sleep pattern would adjust to 10m to 6am.”
Do you get paid for working daylight saving time?
The Fair Work Ombudsman recommends that employees and employers should check their award or registered agreement for terms about daylight saving time.
If there is nothing in them about daylight saving, payment is made “by the clock”. This means that payment will depend on whether daylight saving time starts or ends.
When will daylight saving time start again?
Daylight saving will start again on Sunday 5 October 2025 at 2am (AEDT).
• This article was amended on 31 March 2025. An earlier version omitted details about Tasmania, which observes daylight saving time.
