Sources
Where the data comes from
TheTimeHQ helps you look up local time, convert a date between time zones and plan a meeting. The calculations use named time zones rather than a fixed list of UTC offsets. Here is where the data comes from, what updates it, and what to check before relying on a result.
Time zones and daylight saving
Offset and DST calculations use the IANA Time Zone Database through the JavaScript runtime. A named zone such as America/New_York includes rules that can change with the date; UTC−05:00 alone does not. Server calculations use the database included in our deployed runtime. Browser calculations depend on your browser and operating system, so an outdated device can disagree after a government changes its rules.
A new IANA release does not reach every device or this site immediately. Our server runtime is updated through a deployment; keeping your browser and operating system updated helps their calculations use current rules too. For future travel or an appointment, convert the actual date and recheck if a government announces a change.
What makes a clock live
The first page response contains a server-rendered snapshot. Once loaded, ticking clocks use your device clock. If your device is several minutes wrong, displaying another time zone does not fix that error. The tools are practical references, not certified time signals. Meeting windows are planning aids; confirm availability and local working hours with participants.
Places, dates and daylight
- GeoNames supplies geographic names and coordinates used by the location catalogues. Its data is available under a Creative Commons attribution licence. A city page represents a selected location, not every address or time-zone boundary in a country.
- Country date formats, clock conventions and week patterns use Unicode CLDR data exposed by the runtime. These describe common locale conventions; an individual organisation may use another format.
- Public holiday listings use saved Nager.Date data and curated overrides. Coverage varies by country and region. Country pages list national holidays and may omit state, religious or employer-specific days off. Check the relevant local authority before planning around a closure.
- Sunrise and sunset are calculated from coordinates with a solar-position algorithm; the city pages link to the underlying reference. They are estimates: terrain, buildings, elevation and atmospheric conditions affect what you actually see.
Explanations, sources and review dates
City and country facts, guides and blog posts link to the sources behind their claims. A historical fact or dated market schedule is not a promise that a present-day rule is unchanged. Check a source's date and scope when making a time-sensitive decision. Research and dataset updates are manual; there is no automatic feed checking every source for changes.
An editorial update date records a content change. A live value or render timestamp records when a calculation was made. The ticking clock does not mean the explanatory text or all upstream data was reviewed at that moment.
Report a correction
Please send the page URL, the date and location you checked, the result you expected, and a supporting source through our contact page. For clock or converter errors, include the selected time zones and your browser version. Corrections are reviewed manually, so there can be a delay. See the editorial team for who runs the site and how drafting tools are used.