AKST — Alaska Standard Time
AKST is Alaska Standard Time, 9 hours behind UTC. It is a fixed offset: unlike a time zone, it does not change with the season — the zones that use it switch to a different abbreviation instead.
Current time in AKST
22:46
Saturday, 1 August 2026
AKST = UTC-9 · 9 hours behind UTC
Shown for 2 Aug 2026 07:46 UTC. The clock goes live as soon as scripts load.
UTC offset
UTC-9
Type
Standard time
Seasonal counterpart
AKDT
The letters the same zones use for the other half of the year
Meanings
1
Unambiguous
Is AKST in force right now?
A zone only carries this abbreviation for part of the year. This is which of them were on it at 2 Aug 2026 07:46 UTC; the list is re-derived against your own clock when scripts load.
On AKST now
- No zone was using AKST at that moment.
Using a different abbreviation
- America/Anchorage — on AKDT (UTC-8)
AKST alternates with AKDT across the year.
Writing “AKST” for a date in the other half of the year is the most common time zone mistake in meeting invitations.
Convert AKST to other time zones
City clocks reflect whatever their zone is doing; where a city observes daylight saving time, its difference from AKST changes twice a year. Use the time zone converter for a specific date.
Time zones and cities that use AKST
Alaska Standard Time · UTC-9
Why AKST is not an identifier
AKST is shorthand, not a standard. There is no registry of time zone abbreviations, no authority that assigns them, and nothing preventing two regions from adopting the same three letters — which is what makes codes like IST and CST unusable without context.
For anything a machine will read — a calendar invitation, a database column, an API response — use the IANA identifier of the zone (America/Anchorage, for example) or an explicit UTC offset alongside the date. The identifier survives a change in the law; AKST and its 9 hours offset do not.
Frequently asked questions
What does AKST stand for?
AKST stands for Alaska Standard Time. It is 9 hours behind UTC, written UTC-9.
What is AKST in UTC?
AKST is UTC-9. To convert an AKST time to UTC, add 9 hours.
What is the difference between AKST and AKDT?
AKST is the standard-time form; AKDT is what those same zones use during daylight saving time, one hour ahead. A summer date written "AKST" is usually a mistake for AKDT.
Which time zone should I use instead of AKST?
Use an IANA identifier — America/Anchorage for Alaska Standard Time — or state the UTC offset with the date. Abbreviations are not identifiers: they are not unique, they are not registered anywhere, and half of them change with the season. Calendar software resolves this automatically when you pick a city rather than typing letters.