Eastern Time is 3 hours ahead of Pacific Time. This applies to both standard time (EST vs PST) and daylight saving time (EDT vs PDT).
How the 3-hour gap works
When it's 9:00 AM in Los Angeles (PST), it's 12:00 PM (noon) in New York (EST). When it's 5:00 PM on the West Coast, it's 8:00 PM on the East Coast. The 3-hour gap remains constant throughout the year because both time zones observe DST on the same dates (second Sunday of March to first Sunday of November). Unlike US-to-Europe conversions, there's no temporary offset change during transitions.
PST vs PDT and EST vs EDT
During standard time (roughly November to March), the zones are PST (UTC-8) and EST (UTC-5) — a 3-hour gap. During daylight saving time (March to November), they shift to PDT (UTC-7) and EDT (UTC-4) — still a 3-hour gap. The key thing to remember: the abbreviation changes (S→D), but the gap stays at 3 hours. This makes US coast-to-coast scheduling straightforward compared to international conversions.
Best meeting times for PST–EST teams
The sweet spot for a coast-to-coast meeting is 12:00 PM–3:00 PM Eastern / 9:00 AM–12:00 PM Pacific. This keeps both sides within normal working hours. For a wider window, 10:00 AM–4:00 PM Eastern / 7:00 AM–1:00 PM Pacific works for most teams. Use our Meeting Planner to find the best time for your specific participants.