Best Meeting Time: Singapore to Chicago
🕐 Live Timezone Overlap: Singapore & Chicago
Singapore and Chicago sit 13 hours apart, which means a standard working day in one city lands almost entirely outside the other's. Singapore runs 9am to 6pm on UTC+8, year-round without exception. Chicago, on Central Time, shifts between UTC-5 and UTC-6 depending on the season. That 13-hour gap produces zero overlap between the two cities' working hours, so any meeting requires at least one side to commit to an early morning or a late evening.
Time Difference: Singapore and Chicago
Chicago is currently 13 hours behind Singapore. The live offsets are Singapore UTC+8 and Chicago UTC-5. Singapore does not observe daylight saving and Chicago observes daylight saving, so the offset shifts twice a year if both sides aren't already aligned.
Singapore observes no daylight saving time, holding UTC+8 every day of the year. Chicago observes US federal DST, moving from UTC-6 in winter to UTC-5 in summer. In winter, the gap between Singapore and Chicago is 14 hours. In summer it narrows to 13 hours. The changeover happens twice a year on the US schedule alone, so the Singapore team sees the offset shift without making any local adjustment themselves.
Best Times to Meet
With zero working-hours overlap between Singapore and Chicago, every call falls outside one team's 9am-6pm window. The least disruptive split is typically 7am-8am Chicago time, which lands at 8pm-9pm in Singapore, just after the Singapore close. Avoid scheduling near Chinese New Year in January or February, when Singapore sees public holidays plus extended absences. Chicago's trading culture means some downtown staff start at 7am Central, which could open a slightly earlier window if both sides agree.
Working Hours Overlap Explained
Singapore operates on Asia/Singapore (currently UTC+8). Chicago operates on America/Chicago (currently UTC-5). The table below maps a standard 9:00 AM–6:00 PM day in Singapore to Chicago's local time.
| Singapore time | Chicago time | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | 8:00 PM | Chicago outside hours |
| 10:00 AM | 9:00 PM | Chicago outside hours |
| 11:00 AM | 10:00 PM | Chicago outside hours |
| 12:00 PM | 11:00 PM | Chicago outside hours |
| 1:00 PM | 12:00 AM | Chicago outside hours |
| 2:00 PM | 1:00 AM | Chicago outside hours |
| 3:00 PM | 2:00 AM | Chicago outside hours |
| 4:00 PM | 3:00 AM | Chicago outside hours |
| 5:00 PM | 4:00 AM | Chicago outside hours |
| 6:00 PM | 5:00 AM | Chicago outside hours |
Tips for Scheduling Across Singapore and Chicago
- Use 7am-8am Chicago time as your default slot: it falls at 8pm-9pm in Singapore, just after the local close.
- Singapore holds UTC+8 all year, so track only the Chicago clock when US DST changes in March and November.
- Block Chinese New Year in your shared calendar: Singapore colleagues may be absent for several days beyond the two public holidays.
- Chicago's CME and CBOE traders start at 7am Central, so a 7am call is realistic for downtown Chicago participants.
- Thanksgiving and Christmas cluster late November to late December: avoid scheduling Singapore-Chicago calls across that full period without confirming availability on both sides.
Public Holidays and Working Weeks
Both cities follow a standard Monday-to-Friday working week, with 9am-6pm as the norm. Singapore's next notable holidays include Chinese New Year in January or February and National Day on 9 August. Chicago's calendar highlights are Independence Day on 4 July, Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday in November, and Christmas Day on 25 December. Any cross-city scheduling should check both calendars, since a Chicago public holiday or a Singapore festival week can leave one team unavailable entirely.