Time Zone Overlap
India operates in Indian Standard Time (IST), which is GMT+5:30. Understanding how this aligns with your local time is essential for effective collaboration with your Indian team members.
Your Schedule: Standard 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM workday in your local timezone.
India’s Flexibility: Indian teams can flexibly schedule their 8-hour workday anywhere between 7:00 AM - 7:00 PM IST to maximize overlap with your schedule, while maintaining sustainable working hours (no night shifts).
United Kingdom & Ireland
With 4.5–5.5 hours of overlap, the UK and Ireland are exceptionally well-positioned for collaboration with Indian teams. This window allows for productive morning meetings, real-time problem-solving, and seamless daily stand-ups.
| Location | Overlap Hours | Your Time | India Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | |||
| London (GMT) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| London (BST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Ireland | |||
| Dublin (GMT) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Dublin (IST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
Australia & New Zealand
Despite being ahead of India, Australia and New Zealand achieve excellent overlap through India’s flexible morning hours. This makes collaboration highly effective across both countries, with English-speaking teams and strong cultural alignment.
| Location | Overlap Hours | Your Time | India Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | |||
| Sydney/Melbourne (AEST) | 5.5 hours | 11:30 AM - 5:00 PM | 7:00 AM - 12:30 PM |
| Sydney/Melbourne (AEDT) Daylight Saving |
4.5 hours | 12:30 PM - 5:00 PM | 7:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
| Brisbane (AEST) | 5.5 hours | 11:30 AM - 5:00 PM | 7:00 AM - 12:30 PM |
| Perth (AWST) | 7.5 hours | 9:30 AM - 5:00 PM | 7:00 AM - 2:30 PM |
| New Zealand | |||
| Auckland (NZST) | 4.5 hours | 12:30 PM - 5:00 PM | 7:00 AM - 11:30 AM |
| Auckland (NZDT) Daylight Saving |
3.5 hours | 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM | 7:00 AM - 10:30 AM |
Western & Central Europe
The heart of Europe—including France, Germany, and surrounding countries—offers 4.5–5.5 hours of daily overlap. This region has a long history of successful collaboration with Indian tech teams.
| Location | Overlap Hours | Your Time | India Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Netherlands | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Belgium | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Luxembourg | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Germany | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| France | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Switzerland | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Austria | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
Scandinavia
Scandinavian countries provide excellent 5–6.5 hour overlap windows and are known for their progressive work cultures and high English proficiency. Nordic companies frequently build successful distributed teams with India.
| Location | Overlap Hours | Your Time | India Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Denmark | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Finland | |||
| Eastern European Time (EET) | 5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Eastern European Time (EEST) Daylight Saving |
6.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM | 12:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Norway | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
Central & Eastern Europe
This rapidly growing tech region offers strong overlap (5–6.5 hours) and is home to thriving startup ecosystems. Countries like Poland, Estonia, and Romania have mature remote work cultures and understand the value of distributed teams.
| Location | Overlap Hours | Your Time | India Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Czechia | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Romania | |||
| Eastern European Time (EET) | 5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Eastern European Time (EEST) Daylight Saving |
6.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM | 12:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Hungary | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Estonia | |||
| Eastern European Time (EET) | 5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Eastern European Time (EEST) Daylight Saving |
6.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM | 12:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
Southern Europe
Southern European countries provide 4.5–5.5 hours of overlap. Portugal has emerged as a particularly attractive hub for remote work, with strong English proficiency and a growing tech scene. Spain and Italy offer rich cultural collaboration opportunities.
| Location | Overlap Hours | Your Time | India Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portugal | |||
| Western European Time (WET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Western European Time (WEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Spain | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Italy | |||
| Central European Time (CET) | 4.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM | 2:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central European Time (CEST) Daylight Saving |
5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Greece | |||
| Eastern European Time (EET) | 5.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM | 1:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Eastern European Time (EEST) Daylight Saving |
6.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM | 12:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
North America
North American time zones present the most significant challenge for real-time collaboration. Eastern time zones during daylight saving offer minimal overlap (30 minutes), while Central, Mountain, and Pacific zones have no sustainable overlap during standard working hours.
For US and Canadian companies, asynchronous communication becomes essential. Many successful teams adopt flexible meeting windows—occasional early morning calls for North American teams or late evening calls for Indian teams—combined with strong documentation practices and clear async workflows.
| Location | Overlap Hours | Your Time | India Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | |||
| Eastern Time (EST) | No overlap | - | - |
| Eastern Time (EDT) Daylight Saving |
0.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM | 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central Time (CST) | No overlap | - | - |
| Central Time (CDT) Daylight Saving |
No overlap | - | - |
| Mountain Time (MST) | No overlap | - | - |
| Mountain Time (MDT) Daylight Saving |
No overlap | - | - |
| Pacific Time (PST) | No overlap | - | - |
| Pacific Time (PDT) Daylight Saving |
No overlap | - | - |
| Canada | |||
| Eastern Time (EST) | No overlap | - | - |
| Eastern Time (EDT) Daylight Saving |
0.5 hours | 9:00 AM - 9:30 AM | 6:30 PM - 7:00 PM |
| Central Time (CST) | No overlap | - | - |
| Central Time (CDT) Daylight Saving |
No overlap | - | - |
| Mountain Time (MST) | No overlap | - | - |
| Mountain Time (MDT) Daylight Saving |
No overlap | - | - |
| Pacific Time (PST) | No overlap | - | - |
| Pacific Time (PDT) Daylight Saving |
No overlap | - | - |
Why Time Zone Overlap Matters
At Elphe, we believe that meaningful collaboration happens when teams can work together in real time. While distributed teams can certainly succeed across any time zone, we’ve designed our platform to connect companies with Indian talent where there’s substantial overlap—typically 4+ hours of shared working time.
This approach creates several advantages:
- 🤝 Real-time collaboration enables faster problem-solving and stronger team bonds
- 💬 Synchronous communication reduces delays and keeps projects moving forward
- 🎯 Shared working hours mean fewer meetings outside normal schedules for both sides
- ⚖️ Sustainable work-life balance for everyone—no night shifts or early morning calls as the norm
- 🌍 Cultural exchange thrives when teams can interact naturally throughout the day
Our Focus: The regions highlighted in this guide—UK, Ireland, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand—represent the sweet spot for India collaboration. If you’re in one of these regions, you’ll find it remarkably easy to build effective, cohesive teams with Indian talent.
For North American Companies: We recognize the time zone challenge. Many successful US and Canadian companies work with Indian talent by embracing asynchronous workflows, clear documentation, and strategic meeting windows. While it requires more intentional planning, it’s absolutely achievable—just different from the real-time collaboration other regions enjoy.
Time zones shape how teams work together, but they don’t determine success. The key is choosing the right approach for your specific overlap situation.