Latin America Time Zones vs. US Business Hours, Country by Country

Colombia, Peru, Ecuador and Mexico City share most of the US business day all year. Bogota, Lima and Quito run on UTC-5, the same clock as New York in US winter and one hour behind in US summer. Mexico City, Costa Rica and Guatemala sit one or two hours behind Eastern time, and Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo one or two hours ahead.

Which Latin American countries are in the same time zone as the US?

Colombia, Peru and Ecuador use UTC-5 all year, which is exactly U.S. Eastern Standard Time. From early November to the second Sunday in March, a team in Bogota, Lima or Quito keeps the same clock as New York. Venezuela and the Dominican Republic match Eastern time during U.S. daylight time, and Mexico City matches U.S. Central in winter.

U.S. Eastern is UTC-5 in winter and UTC-4 in daylight time; Pacific is UTC-8 and UTC-7. Most of Latin America does not change its clocks, so the gap with your office moves when the US does. The table uses the offsets in the IANA Time Zone Database, the source operating systems use.

"US winter" means standard time, from the first Sunday in November to the second Sunday in March. "US summer" means daylight time for the rest of the year.

Why do the differences change in March and November?

The hour differences between the US and Latin America change twice a year because the US moves its clocks and most Latin American countries do not. U.S. daylight time runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. In those months the US gains an hour on Bogota, Mexico City and Buenos Aires.

Three details catch teams off guard:

• Mexico abolished daylight saving time in 2022, with the last change on October 30, 2022. Areas near the border still follow U.S. rules, so a contractor in a border city may keep the U.S. schedule while one in Mexico City does not.
• Brazil ended daylight saving time by decree in 2019. Sao Paulo now sits at UTC-3 all year.
• Chile runs its own daylight time, from early September to early April, under rules renewed through 2029. Because Chile and the US switch on different dates, Santiago can move relative to New York four times a year.

Venezuela changed its offset from UTC-4:30 to UTC-4 on May 1, 2016, so older scheduling notes may show a half-hour gap that no longer exists.

What does a 9 to 5 US shift look like in Latin America?

A 9 to 5 Eastern shift runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Mexico City in US winter and 9 to 5 in Bogota, so both cities cover the full Eastern day inside normal local hours. For a 9 to 5 Pacific shift, Mexico City and Central America work late morning to early evening, while Buenos Aires works into the night.

The local hours tell you what you are asking of a person. An Eastern shift from Bogota is a normal workday all year. A Pacific shift from Buenos Aires ends at 9 or 10 p.m., which some people want and many will not keep for long. Ask the candidate directly which hours they can hold for a year, and write the answer into the offer. When you hire a remote professional in Latin America, put the shift in both time zones on the scorecard from the first call.

Which countries fit East Coast, Central and West Coast teams?

For an East Coast team, Colombia, Peru and Ecuador are the closest match: same clock in US winter and one hour behind in summer. Central time teams fit Mexico City, Guatemala and Costa Rica, which equal Central Standard Time in winter. West Coast teams get the most comfortable local hours from Mexico City and Central America.

Some roles care more about overlap than others. An SDR hired in Latin America calling US prospects needs the prospect's morning, so a team in Bogota calling the East Coast starts at a normal hour. An executive assistant in Latin America needs to be online when the executive's day starts, so match the city to where the executive sits. A home services company booking calls needs someone online when customers phone in; see who should cover the phones when calls go unanswered.

Talent pools also vary by country and role. For a broader look at where companies find remote professionals, read the countries with top remote talent.

How do you schedule meetings across US and Latin American time zones?

Schedule meetings across US and Latin American time zones by setting each recurring meeting in the organizer's own time zone inside the calendar, never as a typed clock time in the invite text. Calendar software then moves the local time for each attendee when clocks change. Recheck recurring meetings the week after each US switch.

A few habits that save trouble:

1. Put each person's city in your team directory along with the offset. "UTC-6" will be wrong for a border city in summer; "Mexico City" will not.
2. Write shift hours in the offer in the employer's time zone and the worker's local time, for both US winter and US summer.
3. Hold standups inside the overlap that holds all year. For an Eastern team with people in Bogota and Buenos Aires, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Eastern works in every season.
4. Flag the Chilean switch dates in the calendar if anyone on the team works from Santiago.
5. Check local holidays per country; they do not follow the US calendar.

If you are setting up pay at the same time, how to pay remote contractors in Latin America covers the forms and payment methods.

How Remote Latinos matches hours to your team

Pick the hours first and the city second. Remote Latinos recruits professionals in Latin America to work U.S. client hours; in the company's words, "Your operator works your hours, joins your standups, and answers in real time." The search starts with a 30-minute call where you set the role, the tools and the schedule, and the shortlist is built around that schedule. Find a professional who works your time zone.

This article is general information, not legal advice. Governments can change time zone rules; confirm current offsets before you fix a schedule in a contract.

Frequently asked questions

Is Colombia on Eastern time?

Colombia uses UTC-5 all year and does not change its clocks. That matches U.S. Eastern time from early November to the second Sunday in March. During U.S. daylight time, Bogota is one hour behind New York.

Does Mexico still change its clocks?

Mexico abolished daylight saving time in 2022, with the last change on October 30, 2022. Mexico City stays on UTC-6 all year. Areas near the U.S. border follow U.S. rules, so check the city before you set a schedule.

Which Latin American countries work best with a West Coast team?

Mexico City, Costa Rica and Guatemala are the closest to Pacific time, at UTC-6 all year. They are two hours ahead of Pacific time in U.S. winter and one hour ahead during U.S. daylight time. A 9 to 5 Pacific shift ends at 6 or 7 p.m. local time.

Is Argentina ahead of US Eastern time?

Yes. Buenos Aires uses UTC-3 all year with no daylight saving time. It is two hours ahead of U.S. Eastern time in U.S. winter and one hour ahead during U.S. daylight time. Sao Paulo, Brazil, has the same differences.

Sources

• IANA Time Zone Database: North America
• IANA Time Zone Database: South America