Exact time in Chicago time zone now. Official Chicago timezone and time change dates for year 2026. Chicago, Illinois is in the Central Time Zone (CT). Chicago uses Central Standard Time (CST, UTC−06:00) during standard time and Central Daylight Time (CDT, UTC−05:00) while daylight saving time is in effect. Chicago is not on CST all year. “Central Time” or “CT” is the date-safe umbrella term. UTC -6 is the time zone offset for Mountain Daylight Time (MDT), Central Standard Time (CST), Alberta Time (ABT) and Northwest Territories Time (NWTT). The IANA time zone identifier for Chicago is America/Chicago. Time zone and DST transitions in Chicago, United States Chicago time zone Central Time: - CST - Central Standard Time - CDT - Central Daylight Time when daylight saving time is being observed (from early March to early November) What Time Zone is Chicago, Illinois? Chicago, Illinois is in the Central Time Zone (CT). During Standard Time, Chicago observes Central Standard Time (CST), which is six hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC-6). The exact current time in Chicago, Illinois is displayed live above, synchronized with international NTP servers. The third-most populous city in the United States operates on the CST time zone (Central Standard Time), at an offset of UTC−6. Current local time in USA – Illinois – Chicago. Get Chicago's weather and area codes, time zone and DST. Explore Chicago's sunrise and sunset, moonrise and moonset. What Time Zone is Chicago In? Chicago is in the America/Chicago time zone. During standard time, the city observes UTC-6, meaning it is 6 hours behind Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). During Daylight Saving Time, the offset shifts to UTC-5. All counties and cities of the state have the same time zone, there are no exceptions. Illinois is observing daylight savings so there are two different clocks depending on the time of the year. Historic, present and future dates for daylight saving time and clock changes. Time changes between years 2025 and 2029 in USA – Illinois – Chicago are shown here.