Sao Paulo Time Now

What this page shows

So you want to know what time it is in São Paulo right now. Maybe you have a call with someone in Brazil, a flight to catch, a match kicking off on local time, or someone to reach before their evening is over. That is what the clock at the top of this page is for. It shows the current time in São Paulo and ticks forward every second, so there is nothing for you to work out by hand.

Wherever in the world you are reading this from, the clock tracks São Paulo and keeps itself right on its own. And São Paulo time is simpler than it used to be, because it no longer changes through the year, as the next section explains.

São Paulo no longer changes its clocks

Here is the part worth knowing about São Paulo time. Brazil used to change its clocks for the southern summer, but it ended daylight saving in 2019. So there is no spring forward and no fall back any more. São Paulo stays on the same clock all year round, Brasília Time, three hours behind UTC.

So there are no change dates to track here. Whenever you look, São Paulo is at UTC minus 3, and the clock above simply shows that time. For a country that had observed daylight saving on and off for decades, it was a notable change, and a simplifying one.

What time zone São Paulo is in

São Paulo runs on Brasília Time, three hours behind UTC, held every day of the year. This is the clock of Brazil's populous southeast, shared with Rio de Janeiro and the capital, Brasília, that gives the zone its name. Brazil is wide enough to span more than one zone, but the great majority of its people, and São Paulo among them, keep this one.

São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil and in the whole of South America, and one of the largest in the southern hemisphere, so its clock organises an enormous amount of activity. As the financial heart of the region, the city sets the pace for much of South American business, all of it now on a steady, unchanging UTC minus 3.

Time difference from São Paulo to other cities

São Paulo never changes its clocks, so the gap to other fixed-offset places stays the same all year. The places that do use daylight saving, like the US and Europe, shift by an hour against São Paulo when they change. Here is the quick reference, assuming it is 12 noon in São Paulo.

A few quick examples

Let us run a few, so you can see how this works.

Say it is 12 noon in São Paulo. In the northern winter, New York is two hours behind at 10 in the morning, and Mexico City three hours behind at 9. London is three hours ahead at 3 in the afternoon.

Now the long hauls east. Paris is four hours ahead, so an early afternoon in São Paulo is already early evening in continental Europe. Tokyo is twelve hours ahead, at midnight, so the two sit almost exactly half a day apart, all year.

Because the US and Europe use daylight saving and Brazil does not, the gaps to New York, London, and Paris shift by an hour when those places change. For a call that has to land just right, especially near their change dates, check the live clock rather than the rule of thumb.

A couple of things about São Paulo time

São Paulo sits at about 24 degrees south, so the length of the day swings a moderate amount across the year, the opposite way round to the northern hemisphere. The longest days come around December, with roughly thirteen and a half hours between sunrise and sunset, and the shortest around June, dropping to a little under eleven. Since Brazil ended daylight saving, the summer evenings no longer get the extra stretched hour they once did.

On the clock-against-sun question, São Paulo is a close match. Brasília Time fits the 45 degree west line, and São Paulo sits almost on it, so the sun reaches its highest within a few minutes of 12 noon by the clock. With no daylight saving to shift it, that close fit holds steady all year.

Other places to compare

São Paulo keeps Brasília Time, UTC minus 3. Here are some useful comparisons to jump to:

• New York time now, an hour or two behind
• Mexico City time now, three hours behind
• London time now, three or four hours ahead

And if it is the global reference São Paulo is measured from that you are after, see UTC Time Now.

Questions people ask

What time is it in São Paulo right now?

The clock near the top of this page is the answer, and it updates every second. Brazil no longer uses daylight saving, so São Paulo stays on the same time all year, and the time shown is always correct.

Does São Paulo change its clocks for daylight saving?

No, not since 2019, when Brazil ended daylight saving. São Paulo keeps Brasília Time, UTC minus 3, all year with no seasonal change.

What is the time difference between São Paulo and New York?

New York is normally two hours behind São Paulo, or one hour behind when New York is on summer time. The gap shifts because New York uses daylight saving and Brazil does not.

What time zone is São Paulo in?

Brasília Time, three hours behind UTC, held all year. It is the clock of Brazil's populous southeast, shared with Rio de Janeiro and Brasília.

What is the time difference between São Paulo and London?

London is normally three hours ahead of São Paulo, or four when the UK is on summer time. The gap shifts because the UK uses daylight saving and Brazil does not.

What is the IANA name for São Paulo time?

It is America/Sao_Paulo in the IANA time zone database, the time data your phone and your computer use. It holds a steady UTC minus 3, and it is what drives the live clock on this page.

References

1. Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA). Time Zone Database (the tz database), home of the America/Sao_Paulo identifier. https://www.iana.org/time-zones
2. Observatório Nacional (ON), Brazil, which keeps and disseminates Brazil's legal time. http://www.on.br
3. Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), Time Department, which maintains Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), the reference Brasília Time is measured from. https://www.bipm.org/en/work-programme/time