AKST — Alaska Standard Time
AKST is Alaska Standard Time, -09:00, used in North America. In code, use America/Anchorage rather than the abbreviation.
Alaska Standard Time · North America
16:26:00
Wednesday, 12 August 2026
- abbreviation denotes
- -09:00
- in force right now
- AKDT (UTC-08:00) · DST
- use in code
- America/Anchorage
- next clock change
- 1 Nov 2026 01:00 → AKST
Right now this zone is on AKDT, not AKST —
they are the same place at different times of year.
Use the IANA name, not the abbreviation
Python
from datetime import datetime
from zoneinfo import ZoneInfo
# right: an IANA zone carries the full history of rule changes
now = datetime.now(ZoneInfo("America/Anchorage"))
print(now.isoformat(), now.tzname())
# wrong: an abbreviation is not resolvable, and a hard-coded offset
# silently rots the next time the rules change
# now = datetime.now(timezone(timedelta(hours=...))) # don'tAKST questions
What does AKST stand for?
AKST is Alaska Standard Time, -09:00, used in North America. The IANA zone to use in code is America/Anchorage.
What time is it in AKST right now?
Alaska Standard Time: 16:26 on Wednesday (AKDT).
Which IANA timezone should I use instead of AKST?
America/Anchorage for Alaska Standard Time. Date libraries cannot resolve bare abbreviations, and an abbreviation carries no daylight-saving history, so a stored offset silently rots when a government changes the rules.
Why does my computer show AKDT instead of AKST?
Because America/Anchorage is currently on AKDT (UTC-08:00), its daylight-saving variant. AKST (-09:00) applies during the other half of the year. Both names refer to the same place, one hour apart.