Guide
US–UK timezone overlap: best meeting windows
US–UK calls are the classic test of a timezone overlap tool. The gap looks simple in winter and quietly shifts when one side enters daylight saving. This guide covers Pacific and Eastern versus London, then shows how to lock the same slot in Meridian.
Typical overlap (work hours 09:00–17:00 local)
- US East (New York) ↔ London — Often about 09:00–12:00 ET / 14:00–17:00 UK in winter (EST/GMT). In summer (EDT/BST) the offset stays five hours, so the local clock labels stay similar even though UTC moved.
- US West (Los Angeles) ↔ London — A thinner window: roughly 08:00–09:00 PT / 16:00–17:00 UK if both stick to a 09:00–17:00 day. Many teams stretch UK to 18:00 or start PT at 08:00 for a cleaner hour.
Treat these as starting points, not laws. Support teams, creators, and founders often use different “work hours” than a corporate 9–5.
PST to GMT is not a fixed eight-hour rule
People still search “PST to GMT” and memorize “minus eight.” That fails when Los Angeles is on PDT (UTC−7) and/or
London is on BST (UTC+1). The reliable approach is to pick IANA zones — America/Los_Angeles and
Europe/London — and compare one UTC minute. Meridian’s
PST to GMT converter workflow is exactly that: two rows on one timeline.
How to check US–UK overlap in Meridian
- Open the timezone overlap planner.
- Add Los Angeles or New York, plus London.
- Set work hours that match your team (for example 09:00–18:00 if UK stays late).
- Drag until the green shared window appears — that band is your timezone overlap.
- Copy the invite so both local dates and times are explicit (including “+1 day” if it applies).
Invite wording that reduces confusion
Prefer:
- “Tuesday 9:00am PDT / 5:00pm BST (same UTC moment)”
- or a share link from Meridian so everyone sees the same marker
Avoid “Tuesday 9am PT / 5pm UK” without the date context when either city is near midnight.
When there is almost no overlap
Pacific + UK with strict 09:00–17:00 hours leaves little room. Options: rotate early/late ownership, keep live sync to Eastern↔London, and move Pacific updates to async docs. For three-region teams that also include Asia, read Asia–Europe meeting times before forcing a global all-hands.