London is 8 hours ahead of San Francisco for most of the year. If you are both awake 7 am to 11 pm, a January weekday gives you 8 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 8 hours ahead of San Francisco that week. On a weekday you are both awake for 8 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 San Francisco time, with each zone’s own daylight-saving rules for those dates. London awake 7 am – 11 pm, working 9 am – 5 pm weekdays; San Francisco awake 7 am – 11 pm, working 9 am – 5 pm weekdays.
A weekday, in San Francisco timeboth awake
San Franciscoawake 7 am – 11 pm
Londonawake 7 am – 3 pm and 11 pm – 7 am San Francisco time
7a10a1p4p7p10p1a4a7a
Best on a weekday
noon – 2 pm San Francisco
8 – 10 pm London · San Francisco lunchtime, London evening · during San Francisco’s lunch break
Another weekday option
9 – 11 am San Francisco
5 – 7 pm London · San Francisco morning, London early evening · during San Francisco’s work hours
The long weekend call
Sat 10 am – 1 pm San Francisco
Sat 6 – 9 pm London · San Francisco morning, London early evening
The week · San Francisco time, 11 Jan – 17 Jan
7a
8a
9a
10a
11a
12p
1p
2p
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
Mon
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
Tue
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
Wed
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
Thu
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
Fri
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
Sat
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
Sun
3p
4p
5p
6p
7p
8p
9p
10p
11p
12a
1a
2a
3a
4a
5a
6a
Columns are San Francisco hours; the small figure in each cell is the time in London. both freeboth awake, one at workLondon asleep
The London–San Francisco gap through 2027
Dates
Difference
1 January – 13 March
London is 8 hours ahead of San Francisco
14 March – 27 March
London is 7 hours ahead of San Francisco
28 March – 30 October
London is 8 hours ahead of San Francisco
31 October – 6 November
London is 7 hours ahead of San Francisco
7 November – 31 December
London is 8 hours ahead of San Francisco
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/Los_Angeles (San Francisco). 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 San Francisco
In San Francisco
In London
7 am
3 pm
9 am
5 pm
11 am
7 pm
1 pm
9 pm
3 pm
11 pm
5 pm
1 am (next day)
7 pm
3 am (next day)
9 pm
5 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 San Francisco?
London is 8 hours ahead of San Francisco for most of the year. Because the two places change their clocks on different dates, the gap is 7 hours from 14 March to 27 March and from 31 October to 6 November 2027.
What is the best time to call London from San Francisco?
In January, the easiest two hours on a weekday are noon – 2 pm San Francisco, which is 8 – 10 pm London: San Francisco lunchtime, London evening, during San Francisco’s lunch break. At the weekend, Sat 10 am – 1 pm San Francisco (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 San Francisco share?
If both of you are awake from 7 am to 11 pm, you share 8 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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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.