Scheduling a call between the US and Australia is one of the hardest time zone challenges in the world. The two countries are roughly 14-16 hours apart — meaning that when it's a reasonable working hour in New York, Sydney is either asleep or hasn't started the next day yet. But there are windows that work. Here's how to find them.
Time differences between US and Australian cities
The time difference varies significantly depending on which cities you're connecting:
- New York to Sydney: +14 hours (AEDT) / +15 hours (AEST)
- New York to Melbourne: +14 hours (AEDT) / +15 hours (AEST)
- Los Angeles to Sydney: +17 hours (AEDT) / +18 hours (AEST)
- Chicago to Sydney: +15 hours (AEDT) / +16 hours (AEST)
These gaps flip because Australia's seasons are reversed — when the US is in summer, Australia is in winter, and vice versa. Both countries observe daylight saving time but on opposite schedules.
The best time windows for US–Australia calls
Despite the massive gap, there are usable windows:
- 7–9 AM Eastern US time = 9–11 PM Sydney time. Sydney is finishing their evening — workable for a quick call if your Australian colleague is flexible.
- 5–7 PM Eastern US time = 7–9 AM Sydney next day. Sydney is just starting their morning — this is actually the best window for a proper meeting.
- Early morning LA time (6–8 AM PT) = 11 PM–1 AM Sydney. Tough but possible for urgent matters.
Tips for US–Australia remote teams
Companies with teams spanning the US and Australia have developed several strategies to manage the gap:
- Rotate the inconvenience — alternate who takes the early or late call. Don't always make the Australian team stay up late.
- Use async first — Loom videos, detailed Slack messages and documented decisions reduce the need for live calls.
- Set a weekly anchor meeting — one fixed time per week at the best overlap window, for everything that needs live discussion.
- Hire for timezone overlap — some Australian companies specifically hire in Brisbane (no DST) to maintain more predictable overlap with Asian and US teams.
Does daylight saving affect the US–Australia time difference?
Yes — and it's complicated. Both countries observe daylight saving time, but on opposite schedules. When the US springs forward in March, Australia is heading into autumn and hasn't yet fallen back. The result is that the gap between New York and Sydney changes four times per year — making it one of the most variable international time relationships in the world.
Use our Meeting Planner to automatically find the current best overlap time between any US and Australian city.