Singapore Time (SGT), also known asSingapore Standard Time (SST), is used inSingapore and is 8 hours ahead ofCoordinated Universal Time (UTC+08:00). Singapore does not observedaylight saving time.^[1]

As part of theStraits Settlements, Singapore originally adopted theMalayan Time, which was GMT+07:30 in 1941.^[2][3]

Following theJapanese occupation, Singapore (known as Syonan-to during this time) adopted theTokyo Standard Time of GMT+09:00 on 15 February 1942.^[4]

At the end ofWorld War II and the return of theStraits Settlements to theBritish, Singapore reverted to its pre-wartime zone.^[4]

Although Singapore does not currently observe daylight saving time in the traditional sense due to its tropical location, a form of daylight saving time, using a 20-minute offset, was introduced on an annual basis by theLegislative Council of the Straits Settlements in 1933.

On 2 July 1920, a bill was intituled asDaylight Saving Ordinance, 1920.^[5] It is to introduce a 30-minutes offset or seven and a half hour in advance of Greenwich mean time. The bill was read for the first time on 5 July 1920 but was later abandoned.

In 1932, Sir Arnold Percy Robinson^[6][7] raised the idea of 20-minute offset after an earlier attempt was abandoned in 1920 which was first proposed bySir Laurence Guillemard for a 30-minute offset.^[8]On 26 September 1932, a bill was intituled asDaylight Saving Ordinance, 1932.^[9] The Ordinance was passed at a meeting of the Legislative Council held on 5 December 1932^[10] and approved by Sir Cecil Clementi (Governor) on 15 December 1932.^[11]

Between 1934 and 1935, theDaylight Saving Ordinance, 1932 was extended throughout both years by Gazette Notifications.^[12][13] The 20-minute offset was formally adopted asstandard time in Singapore in 1936,^[8] and on 1 September 1941 the offset was increased to 30 minutes,^[2][3] the same as the 1920 proposal.

In 1981,Malaysia decided tostandardise the time across its territories to a uniform UTC+08:00. Singapore elected to follow suit, citing business and travel schedules.^[14][15] The change took effect on New Year's Day (1 January) 1982 when Singapore moved half an hour forward on New Year's Eve (31 December) 1981 at 11:30 pm creating "Singapore Standard Time" (SST) or "Singapore Time" (SGT).^[16] SST is 8 hours ahead ofUTC and is synchronised withBeijing,Hong Kong,Manila,Shanghai,Taipei,Chongqing,Kunming andPerth.

Section 51(2) of the Interpretation Act 1965 (2020 Revised Edition) states ““Standard time” means standard time as used in Singapore, namely, 8 hours, or such other period as may from time to time be determined by the President by notification in the Gazette, in advance of Coordinated Universal Time”.^[21]

In the early days, Singapore used atimeball on Fort Canning and Mount Faber for sailors to check with their chronometers by the falling ball at exactly 1 p.m daily. When the second world war came to Singapore, the Public Works Department (PWD) cut the masts down as the masts formed "ideal" markers for artillery. After the war, the timeball became redundant as most ships now had wireless to give them time signals.^[22]

The Time & Frequency Laboratory ofA*STAR's National Metrology Centre (NMC) establishes, maintains and disseminates the Coordinated Universal Time of Singapore, UTC (SG) and Singapore Standard Time (SST), the national time scale of Singapore. The difference betweenUTC+08:00 and SST is never more than 0.9 seconds. NMC maintains five caesiumatomic clocks and one hydrogen maser atomic clock.^[23]

TheIANA time zone database contains one zone for Singapore in the filezone.tab:

• ASEAN Common Time

• Singapore Standard Time
• National Metrology Centre

• Time zones
• Time in Singapore
• Time in Southeast Asia

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata
• Use dmy dates from August 2018
• Use Singapore English from August 2018
• All Wikipedia articles written in Singapore English