London is 6 hours ahead of Chicago for most of the year. If you are both awake 7 am to 11 pm, a January weekday gives you 10 hours awake at the same time, though none of them is outside a 9-to-5 for both of you. Here are the good ones.
London is 6 hours ahead of Chicago that week. On a weekday you are both awake for 10 hours, but none of them is outside work for both of you, so a lunch break or a commute has to do the work.
Worked out for the week of 11 January 2027 (11 Jan – 17 Jan), in Chicago time, with each zone’s own daylight-saving rules for those dates. London awake 7 am – 11 pm, working 9 am – 5 pm weekdays; Chicago awake 7 am – 11 pm, working 9 am – 5 pm weekdays.
A weekday, in Chicago timeboth awake
Chicagoawake 7 am – 11 pm
Londonawake 7 am – 5 pm and 1 – 7 am Chicago time
7a10a1p4p7p10p1a4a7a
Best on a weekday
noon – 2 pm Chicago
6 – 8 pm London · Chicago lunchtime, London early evening · during Chicago’s lunch break
Another weekday option
7 – 9 am Chicago
1 – 3 pm London · Chicago morning, London lunchtime · during London’s work hours
The long weekend call
Sat noon – 3 pm Chicago
Sat 6 – 9 pm London · Chicago lunchtime, London early evening
The week · Chicago time, 11 Jan – 17 Jan
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
Mon
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
Tue
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
Wed
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
Thu
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
Fri
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
Sat
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
Sun
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
Columns are Chicago hours; the small figure in each cell is the time in London. both freeboth awake, one at workLondon asleep
The London–Chicago gap through 2027
Dates
Difference
1 January – 13 March
London is 6 hours ahead of Chicago
14 March – 27 March
London is 5 hours ahead of Chicago
28 March – 30 October
London is 6 hours ahead of Chicago
31 October – 6 November
London is 5 hours ahead of Chicago
7 November – 31 December
London is 6 hours ahead of Chicago
The week grid and call windows were worked out for 11 Jan to 17 Jan 2027 with the IANA time-zone rules for Europe/London (London) and America/Chicago (Chicago). That week both places are on standard time. The table uses the same rules for every day of 2027. The finder above recalculates for the current week in your browser.
When it is … in Chicago
In Chicago
In London
7 am
1 pm
9 am
3 pm
11 am
5 pm
1 pm
7 pm
3 pm
9 pm
5 pm
11 pm
7 pm
1 am (next day)
9 pm
3 am (next day)
Wednesday times. Send times as “your 8 pm” or “my 8 pm” so nobody has to guess whose clock you mean.
Stop doing the math every day
The Long Goodbye keeps your person’s local time and time of day on your home-screen widget and lock screen, so you can see whether it is morning coffee or midnight in London before you call. A “thinking of you” tap lights up their widget, and a countdown keeps the next visit in view.
What is the time difference between London and Chicago?
London is 6 hours ahead of Chicago for most of the year. Because the two places change their clocks on different dates, the gap is 5 hours from 14 March to 27 March and from 31 October to 6 November 2027.
What is the best time to call London from Chicago?
In January, the easiest two hours on a weekday are noon – 2 pm Chicago, which is 6 – 8 pm London: Chicago lunchtime, London early evening, during Chicago’s lunch break. At the weekend, Sat noon – 3 pm Chicago (Sat 6 – 9 pm London) gives you a longer call. Change the awake and work hours in the finder on this page to fit your own days.
How many waking hours do London and Chicago share?
If both of you are awake from 7 am to 11 pm, you share 10 hours on a January weekday, but none of them falls outside 9-to-5 working hours in both places.
Does daylight saving time change the call times?
Yes. In 2027 Chicago changes its clocks on 14 March and 7 November and London changes its clocks on 28 March and 31 October, so a call you keep at the same time in Chicago moves by an hour in London on those dates. Check the table on this page and agree the new time out loud after each change.