UTC — Coordinated Universal Time
UTC is Coordinated Universal Time, +00:00, used in Worldwide. In code, use UTC rather than the abbreviation.
Coordinated Universal Time · Worldwide
00:15:46
Thursday, 13 August 2026
- abbreviation denotes
- +00:00
- in force right now
- UTC (UTC+00:00)
- use in code
- UTC
- next clock change
- none — fixed offset
The reference every other offset is stated against. Never shifts for daylight saving.
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("UTC"))
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'tUTC questions
What does UTC stand for?
UTC is Coordinated Universal Time, +00:00, used in Worldwide. The IANA zone to use in code is UTC.
What time is it in UTC right now?
Coordinated Universal Time: 00:15 on Thursday (UTC).
Which IANA timezone should I use instead of UTC?
UTC for Coordinated Universal 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.