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
17:45:54
Saturday, 26 September 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: 17:45 on Saturday (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.