Chicago to London: time difference and best times to meet
London is 6 hours ahead of Chicago. Their working days overlap for 3 hours, from 9am to 12pm in Chicago (3pm–6pm in London). The best time to schedule is 9am Chicago time, which is 3pm in London.
America/Chicago
Europe/London
Hour-by-hour overlap
Each row is one hour of the Chicago day and the matching hour in London. Adjust the working hours to match how your team actually works.
| Chicago | London | Suitable? |
|---|---|---|
| 3am | 9am | Working hours in London only |
| 4am | 10am | Working hours in London only |
| 5am | 11am | Working hours in London only |
| 6am | 12pm | Working hours in London only |
| 7am | 1pm | Working hours in London only |
| 8am | 2pm | Working hours in London only |
| 9am | 3pm | Both cities at work |
| 10am | 4pm | Both cities at work |
| 11am | 5pm | Both cities at work |
| 12pm | 6pm | Working hours in Chicago only |
| 1pm | 7pm | Working hours in Chicago only |
| 2pm | 8pm | Working hours in Chicago only |
| 3pm | 9pm | Working hours in Chicago only |
| 4pm | 10pm | Working hours in Chicago only |
| 5pm | 11pm | Working hours in Chicago only |
Best times to propose
- 1. 9am in Chicago · 3pm in London — Right at the edge of someone's day
- 2. 10am in Chicago · 4pm in London — Comfortable mid-day slot on both sides
- 3. 11am in Chicago · 5pm in London — Right at the edge of someone's day
Avoid 3am Chicago time and 4am Chicago time — only the other city is at work.
When the gap changes in the next twelve months
- Sunday, October 25, 2026 — London goes from 6 hours ahead of to 5 hours ahead of Chicago.
- Sunday, November 1, 2026 — London goes from 5 hours ahead of to 6 hours ahead of Chicago.
- Sunday, March 14, 2027 — London goes from 6 hours ahead of to 5 hours ahead of Chicago.
- Sunday, March 28, 2027 — London goes from 5 hours ahead of to 6 hours ahead of Chicago.
Recurring meetings set as a fixed clock time in one city will move by an hour for the other on these dates.
Public holidays to avoid
Dates where one side is off work while the other is not are the most common cause of no-shows on this route.
- Monday, October 12, 2026 — Indigenous Peoples' Day — Chicago is off, London is working.
- Wednesday, November 11, 2026 — Veterans Day — Chicago is off, London is working.
- Thursday, November 26, 2026 — Thanksgiving Day — Chicago is off, London is working.
- Monday, November 30, 2026 — Saint Andrew's Day — London is off, Chicago is working.
- Friday, December 25, 2026 — Christmas Day and Christmas Day; both cities are off.
- Monday, December 28, 2026 — St. Stephen's Day — London is off, Chicago is working.
With 3 shared working hours, Chicago and London can run standing meetings without anyone giving up an evening — as long as the slot sits inside that window on both sides of the next clock change.
Sending a booking link avoids the arithmetic entirely: each side picks a time in their own zone and both calendars get the correct local time, including after a daylight-saving change. See how LemCall handles cross-timezone bookings.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the time difference between Chicago and London?
- London is currently 6 hours ahead of Chicago. That changes to 5 hours ahead of on Sunday, October 25, 2026, when one side shifts for daylight saving.
- When is the best time to schedule a meeting between Chicago and London?
- 9am in Chicago, which is 3pm in London. Right at the edge of someone's day.
- How many hours do Chicago and London overlap?
- 3 hours, from 9am to 12pm Chicago time (3pm–6pm in London).
- Does daylight saving change the Chicago–London gap?
- Yes. Over the next twelve months the difference changes 4 times: Sunday, October 25, 2026 (6 hours ahead of becomes 5 hours ahead of); Sunday, November 1, 2026 (5 hours ahead of becomes 6 hours ahead of); Sunday, March 14, 2027 (6 hours ahead of becomes 5 hours ahead of); Sunday, March 28, 2027 (5 hours ahead of becomes 6 hours ahead of).
- Are there public holidays that affect Chicago–London meetings?
- Yes. The next is Monday, October 12, 2026 — a public holiday where Chicago is, but a normal working day in London.
Nearby pairs
Other meeting-time pages for Chicago
Sources
- 1.IANA. Time Zone Database
- 2.Nager.Date. Public holidays API · Retrieved