Overnight from Saturday to Sunday, 25 October 2026, British Summer Time ends in the UK. At 2:00 the clocks go back to 1:00. We get an extra hour in bed.
That is according to the official government website GOV.UK. The change always falls on the last Sunday of October. In spring the clocks go forward again, on the last Sunday of March.
The clocks also change in Poland the same night. There they go back from 3:00 to 2:00. The difference between London and Warsaw stays the same: 1 hour.
Phones and computers will change the time automatically. You need to reset the clock in your car, oven, microwave and older alarm clocks by hand.
What it means for you
- Families and children: it will get dark earlier in the evening. Children will come home from school and activities after dark. A reflector or a bright jacket is a good idea.
- Night-shift workers: that night the shift lasts an hour longer. If you are paid by the hour, that extra hour is work too.
- Businesses: check rotas, time-recording systems and bookings with clients in Poland. Online meetings set in Polish time keep the same one-hour difference.
- Drivers: mornings will be lighter, but the afternoon drive home will be in the dark.
Our assessment
This is a certain, annual change. It is small, but in businesses with shift work it is easy to make a payroll mistake. National Minimum Wage law counts all hours worked. Pay for the pay reference period must not fall below the minimum for that time. That is why it is worth checking the payroll now, not only when an employee complains.
What to do
- On Saturday evening, reset the clocks that do not change themselves.
- Employers: add the extra night-shift hour to your working-time records.
- Employees: check on your payslip that the extra hour has been included. Minimum wage rules: GOV.UK – National Minimum Wage.
- Clock change dates for the coming years: GOV.UK – When do the clocks change.
Source: GOV.UK – When do the clocks change; Gazeta Prawna (24.10.2026).
We assess factual corrections and substantive responses. Verified changes are reflected in our reporting.
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