Scheduling across time zones is one of modern work’s most reliable sources of embarrassment. A 3 PM call planned from Mumbai becomes a 5:30 AM surprise for someone in New York, and daylight saving silently moves the goalposts twice a year. The Meeting Planner takes a time in IST and instantly shows what it is in the world’s major business zones, so nobody has to do the mental arithmetic — or apologise for it.
It is built for India’s remote workers, freelancers with foreign clients, and teams spread across continents. Sales calls with Dubai, stand-ups with Singapore, interviews with US candidates — any meeting with participants in more than one zone is easier when everyone sees the same moment expressed in their local time. Students scheduling calls with universities abroad use it too.
You pick one time in IST and get back a clean table: UTC, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, New York, and Los Angeles, each in easy 12-hour format. There is no sign-up and nothing to configure; the page works on a phone as well as it does on a desktop, which matters when a client asks ‘what time is that for me?’ mid-conversation.
The planner is upfront about its one limitation: it uses fixed standard offsets and does not apply daylight-saving shifts automatically, and it says so on the page. For everyday scheduling that is perfectly fine, and for board meetings and flights, the reminder to verify in your calendar app keeps you safe.
How it works
The planner starts from the time you pick in IST and converts it to each listed zone using fixed offsets from UTC. Indian Standard Time is UTC+5:30, so the tool first subtracts five and a half hours to reach UTC, then adds each zone’s offset: Dubai is UTC+4, Singapore UTC+8, Sydney UTC+11, New York UTC−5, and Los Angeles UTC−8. London is shown at UTC+0, labelled for winter, since the UK observes daylight saving in summer.
Times are displayed in 12-hour format with AM/PM, which most people read faster than 24-hour time when scanning a meeting table. The conversion is pure arithmetic, so it is instant and exact within the offsets used — there is no ambiguity and no rounding.
The honest limitation is daylight saving. The United States, the UK, and parts of Australia move their clocks forward and back each year, which temporarily changes their offset from IST by one hour. The tool does not track these shifts, so it shows a clear note to verify critical meetings in your calendar app, which does apply daylight-saving rules for the exact date.
How to use this tool
- Pick the meeting time in IST using the time picker.
- Click 'Show world times'.
- Read the table showing the same moment in UTC, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, New York, and Los Angeles.
- Share the relevant converted time with your invitees.
- For important meetings, cross-check the time in your calendar app to account for daylight saving.
Practical tips
- Remember the US and UK move clocks for daylight saving — an offset that is right in January can be an hour off in July.
- When proposing times to Americans, offer two options; the 9.5–12.5 hour gap with IST leaves only narrow comfortable windows.
- Sydney's offset also shifts with its daylight saving (opposite season to the northern hemisphere).
- Put the time zone next to every time you send — '3 PM IST' prevents far more confusion than '3 PM'.
- For recurring meetings, recheck the conversion whenever any participant's region enters or leaves daylight saving.
Frequently asked questions
Does the planner handle daylight saving time?
Not automatically. The planner uses fixed standard offsets, so it will not shift for daylight saving on its own. The US and parts of Europe move their clocks twice a year, which changes their offset from IST by an hour. Always verify against your calendar app for the exact date, especially around March and November.
Which US time zones are covered?
Two are shown: New York (Eastern, UTC−5 standard) and Los Angeles (Pacific, UTC−8 standard). These cover the most common US business contacts from India. If your contact is in Chicago or Denver, note they sit one and two hours behind New York respectively.
Can I plan a recurring weekly meeting?
The tool converts a single time, but you can use it for a recurring meeting by converting the IST slot once and then double-checking the foreign time whenever daylight saving starts or ends in the other country. Calendar apps handle recurrence better — use this planner for the initial conversion.
Is the converted time exact?
Within the limits of fixed offsets, yes. The arithmetic is exact; the uncertainty comes only from daylight saving and occasional government changes to time zone rules. For everyday scheduling it is perfectly reliable, and the on-page note reminds you to verify critical meetings.
Why isn't my city listed?
The table covers the zones most relevant to Indian users: UTC/London, Dubai, Singapore, Sydney, New York, and Los Angeles, alongside IST itself. If your contact is elsewhere, convert to UTC first and then apply their local offset.
What is IST in UTC terms?
IST is UTC+5:30 — five and a half hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time. That half-hour is unusual; most zones differ by whole hours, which is why mental conversion from IST trips people up and a planner helps.
Note: Time zone rules can change by government decision, and some regions observe daylight saving. For critical meetings, cross-check the converted time with your calendar app.