Oceania · Polynesia · Dependency
Current time in American Samoa
A single time zone at UTC-11:00.
Wednesday, October 14, 2026
About American Samoa's time
A single time zone.
American Samoa is a U.S. territory in the South Pacific that operates on standard time year-round — UTC-11:00 under Samoa Standard Time (SST) — and does not observe daylight saving time.
Major cities
Cities of American Samoa.
History
How American Samoa keeps time.
American Samoa formally adopted Samoa Standard Time (UTC-11:00) under U.S. administration, in 1911, reflecting its position east of the 180° meridian. Until July 1892 Samoa kept the date of the Asian side of the date line; that year it repeated a day to switch to the American side.
In 2011, neighboring independent Samoa shifted its time zone westward across the International Date Line — moving from UTC-11 to UTC+13 — effectively skipping a full calendar day to align with Australia and New Zealand trading partners. American Samoa made no such change, remaining on UTC-11:00, which leaves the two Samoas 24 hours apart despite being only about 100 kilometers (60 miles) apart geographically.
The split, in place since the end of 2011, reflects divergent political and economic paths: American Samoa remains anchored to the United States, while independent Samoa gravitated toward Asia-Pacific commerce.
Did you know?
Things about American Samoa's time.
American Samoa sits in one of the most interesting timekeeping situations in the world. In 2011, just across the ocean, independent Samoa jumped from the eastern side of the International Date Line to the western side — switching from UTC-11 (the same zone American Samoa still uses) all the way to UTC+13.
The result: American Samoa and independent Samoa are exactly 24 hours apart, despite being only a short flight from each other. If it's Friday in American Samoa, it's already Saturday in independent Samoa. Friends and family on opposite sides of this divide experience a full day's gap for calls, messages, and video chats — a rare modern example of neighboring communities living in different calendar days.
Another practical point for travelers and remote workers: American Samoa also shares its UTC-11:00 time zone with Niue and Midway Atoll, and it does not observe daylight saving time at all. That means when most U.S. clocks shift forward in spring and back in fall, American Samoa stays fixed — creating a waxing and waning time gap with U.S. mainland time zones (Hawaii is UTC-10; U.S. Eastern is UTC-5, or UTC-4 in summer).
Convert
American Samoa to the world's clocks.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about American Samoa's time zone, daylight saving rules, and how to handle it in software. Can't find what you need? Email [email protected].
- How does American Samoa's time compare to independent Samoa?
- American Samoa uses UTC-11:00 (Samoa Standard Time), while independent Samoa uses UTC+13:00 — a 24-hour (and one calendar day) difference, despite the two being roughly 100 km apart. In 2011, independent Samoa shifted westward across the International Date Line to align with Australia and New Zealand, widening the gap from 1 hour to a full day.
- Does American Samoa observe daylight saving time?
- No. American Samoa stays on UTC-11:00 year-round and does not observe daylight saving time. This means U.S. time differences with the territory shift by an hour each spring and fall whenever U.S. clocks change.
- What time zone is American Samoa in?
- American Samoa uses Samoa Standard Time (SST), UTC-11:00. It does not observe daylight saving time.
- Why did Samoa change its time zone but American Samoa did not?
- In 2011, independent Samoa shifted from UTC-11:00 to UTC+13:00 to align its trading week with Australia and New Zealand rather than the United States. As a U.S. territory, American Samoa stayed anchored to U.S. time conventions, keeping UTC-11:00.
- What other places share American Samoa's time zone?
- American Samoa's UTC-11:00 is shared with Niue and Midway Atoll, all on standard time year-round.
- When is the best time to call American Samoa from the U.S.?
- American Samoa is 6 hours behind U.S. Eastern Time in winter and 7 hours behind during U.S. daylight saving time, and always 1 hour behind Hawaii. Morning in Pago Pago is mid-afternoon to early evening on the East Coast, so U.S. afternoons are the easiest time to reach people there.
- What does SST stand for in American Samoa?
- SST stands for Samoa Standard Time (UTC-11:00). It is not adjusted for daylight saving, unlike most U.S. time zones.
- Is American Samoa ahead or behind the U.S. mainland in time?
- American Samoa is behind: 6 hours behind Eastern Time (7 during U.S. daylight saving time) and 3 hours behind Pacific Time (4 in summer). It never shifts its clocks, so the gap grows by an hour in spring and shrinks again in fall.
Source: IANA tzdb2026d · Reviewed
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