Broker Server Time in MT5 vs UTC vs TradingView Time

Broker server time in MT5 is the clock of your broker's trade server. MetaTrader 5 uses it for quote times, charts, and order and deal records. The broker chooses the offset. Several brokers publish GMT+2 in winter and GMT+3 during US daylight saving time, so server midnight falls at 17:00 New York. TradingView charts display whichever time zone you select, and TradingView's alert time placeholders use UTC.

To compare a TradingView alert with an MT5 trade, convert every timestamp to UTC first. This page belongs to the trading mechanics library. For the hours of the trading centres themselves, see forex market sessions in UTC.

Broker server time, UTC and TradingView time at a glance

• MT5 Market Watch, last quote time: the broker's trade-server time zone.^[1]
• MT5 Trade and History tabs (positions, orders, deals): the broker's trade-server time zone, written YYYY.MM.DD HH:MM.^[2]
• MT5 Journal tab: your computer's time zone.^[3]
• MT5 charts and a broker's published trading hours: server time at the brokers cited here.^[4][5] PineConnector's EA guide calls it "the broker's server time shown on the chart".^[6]
• TradingView chart time axis: the time zone chosen in the chart's settings, for display only.^[7]
• Pine Script hour, dayofweek and time() sessions: the symbol's exchange time zone, unless a timezone argument is given.^[7]
• TradingView {{time}} and {{timenow}} placeholders: UTC.^[8]
• TradingView alert pop-ups, alert manager and alert log: your operating system's time zone. The log's CSV export uses UTC.^[9]
• PineConnector EA Active hours: broker server time.^[6]
• PineConnector Portal Tasks: the timezone shown on the task.^[10]

UTC is the common reference because its offset never moves. The IANA time zone list that TradingView links to gives Etc/UTC an offset of +00:00 in both standard and daylight time.^[11] Broker server time and many local clocks shift with daylight saving.

How do you convert broker server time to UTC and TradingView time?

UTC = broker server time − the broker's UTC offset on that date

Time in any other zone = UTC + that zone's UTC offset on that date

The broker's UTC offset is the number in its "GMT+2" or "GMT+3" label, positive east of Greenwich. TradingView treats "UTC+3" and "GMT+03:00" as the same offset: three hours ahead of UTC.^[7] The words "on that date" matter. A broker on US daylight saving dates is UTC+3 in summer and UTC+2 in winter, while New York moves between UTC−4 and UTC−5.^[5][11]

One relationship stays fixed. At a broker whose server midnight is 17:00 New York, server time equals New York time plus 7 hours all year. In summer, 17:00 EDT (UTC−4) is 21:00 UTC, which reads 00:00 at UTC+3. In winter, 17:00 EST (UTC−5) is 22:00 UTC, which reads 00:00 at UTC+2.

Worked example: one alert, seven timestamps

Illustrative example, not a recommendation. On Friday 25 September 2026, an alert fires at the close of a EURUSD one-hour bar that opened at 13:00 UTC. The broker's server is on GMT+3. The TradingView chart displays America/New_York, which is UTC−4 on that date. The trader's computer is set to London time, UTC+1 until the UK clocks go back on 25 October.^[12][11]

• TradingView {{time}}, in UTC: 2026-09-25T13:00:00Z, the bar's start.
• TradingView {{timenow}}, in UTC: 2026-09-25T14:00:00Z, the fire time.
• TradingView chart in New York time, UTC−4: the bar is labelled 09:00 and closes at 10:00.
• TradingView alert log on the London computer, UTC+1: 15:00.
• MT5 one-hour chart at the broker, UTC+3: the bar is labelled 16:00 and closes at 17:00.
• MT5 History, UTC+3: 2026.09.25 17:00, if an order fills within that minute.
• MT5 Journal on the London computer, UTC+1: 15:00.

Apart from the bar-start times, {{time}} and the two bar labels, every row names the same moment. Check by converting back: 17:00 server time − 3 hours = 14:00 UTC, which is 10:00 in New York. A real deal follows webhook delivery, PineConnector processing and broker execution, so its minute can be later.

Now suppose EA Active hours end at 17:00 server time. This signal would arrive on the boundary minute. PineConnector documents that the Portal Trading Time Limit excludes its end time.^[10] The EA guide does not say whether the Active hours End Time includes its own minute: not documented; test on demo.^[6]

When does MT5 server time change for daylight saving?

A broker's server offset changes when the broker decides. Two daylight saving calendars matter here:

• United States: daylight saving time runs from 2:00 a.m. local time on the second Sunday of March to the first Sunday of November. In 2026 that is 8 March to 1 November.^[13]
• European Union and United Kingdom: summer time runs from the last Sunday of March to the last Sunday of October.^[14] In the UK the 2026 dates are 29 March and 25 October.^[12]

As of 25 September 2026, one broker's trading-hours page says: "Our server time is set to GMT+3 during US daylight saving time (March to November)". It shifts to GMT+2 in US standard time, which the broker says "ensures that daily candles close in line with the New York trading day".^[5] A second broker states that its "server time and charts are GMT+2 or GMT+3 (when daylight savings is in effect)".^[4] A prop firm's update of 5 March 2026 moved its MetaTrader platform time from GMT+2 to GMT+3 on Sunday 8 March 2026.^[15]

The US and European calendars leave mismatch weeks between them: in 2026, 8 to 28 March and 25 to 31 October. During those weeks, a broker on US dates is 3 hours ahead of London instead of 2. The same prop firm's notice put the offset between Prague time and its MetaTrader time at 2 hours from 8 March 2026.^[15]

MetaTrader 5 does not report the server's offset or its daylight saving state. MetaQuotes' MQL5 book notes that the server's current time does not reveal "its standard time zone", and that MQL5 "does not provide information" on whether the server uses daylight saving.^[16] Check the broker's own statement and measure against UTC.

Illustrative example, not a recommendation. Take EA Active hours of 09:00 to 17:00 server time, at a GMT+2/GMT+3 broker on US dates, through autumn 2026:

• Until 24 October (server UTC+3, London UTC+1): 06:00–14:00 UTC, which is 07:00–15:00 in London.
• 25 to 31 October (server UTC+3, London UTC+0): 06:00–14:00 UTC, which is 06:00–14:00 in London.
• From 1 November (server UTC+2, London UTC+0): 07:00–15:00 UTC, which is 07:00–15:00 in London.

In New York time the window stays at 02:00 to 10:00 in all three periods. In London time it moves twice this autumn, and in UTC once.

Why does the forex daily candle differ between TradingView and MT5?

A daily candle is a 24-hour bucket, and each platform decides where the bucket starts. TradingView's Pine documentation says the "Monday" session for EURUSD "starts on Sunday at 17:00 and ends on Monday at 17:00 in the exchange time zone". In the same page's EURUSD example, "the first bar opens at 21:00 UTC, 17:00 in the exchange time zone" (America/New_York).^[7] On timeframes of one day and above, TradingView "visually adjusts the dates of these bars" to the trading day.^[17] Its Help Center adds: "Trading hours might also vary depending on the provider."^[18]

An MT5 broker's daily candle follows its server clock, which is why one broker ties its GMT+2/GMT+3 schedule to daily candles.^[5] At a broker on US dates, server midnight is 17:00 New York all year. Its daily candle and TradingView's 17:00-to-17:00 EURUSD day then cover the same 24 hours. Any other convention shifts the bucket:

• A server on UTC+0 all year (illustrative): the day starts at 00:00 UTC. That is 3 hours after TradingView's 21:00 UTC start in US summer, and 2 hours after its 22:00 UTC start in US winter. If that broker's week opens at 17:00 New York on Sunday, it also records a short Sunday candle.
• A server on UTC+2/UTC+3 with European dates (illustrative): daily boundaries match TradingView's except in the mismatch weeks, when they sit an hour apart.

Different buckets give different daily highs, lows and closes, so "previous day" levels and daily indicator values differ too. Timestamps are one of several feed differences. PineConnector's FAQ lists "different data feeds, bid/ask quotes, spreads and timestamps".^[19] See why TradingView prices differ from your broker's for the rest. The weekly open and the daily rollover also follow the broker's schedule: see weekend gaps at the market open and swap and rollover fees.

PineConnector's ATR trailing also reads broker bars, not TradingView's. The syntax guide says atrtimeframe= uses "the broker's MetaTrader series; it may differ from TradingView".^[20]

How should a Pine Script session rule handle broker server time?

Pine Script has no documented access to your broker's server clock, and it cannot read the chart's display time zone. Calendar variables such as hour and dayofweek use the symbol's exchange time zone. The time() function reads a session string in its timezone argument or, without one, in syminfo.timezone.^[7] On a feed whose exchange zone is America/New_York, hour == 9 is true for bars opening in the 09:00 hour in New York, not on your MT5 chart.

To reproduce a broker-hours window in Pine, express it in a named time zone that shares the broker's daylight saving calendar. At a GMT+2/GMT+3 broker on US dates, subtract 7 hours and use "America/New_York". TradingView recommends IANA names because their calculations adjust for daylight saving changes.^[7] A fixed "UTC+3" matches that broker only during US daylight saving time. "Europe/Athens", which is UTC+2 or UTC+3 on EU dates, sits an hour out in the mismatch weeks.^[11][14]

Illustrative sketch; not compiled or tested.

//@version=6
indicator("Broker hours in New York time", overlay = true)
// Illustrative broker on GMT+2/GMT+3 with US dates:
// server time = New York time + 7 hours, so a
// 09:00-17:00 server window is 02:00-10:00 New York.
string nyWindow = input.session("0200-1000:23456", "Window, New York time")
bool inWindow = not na(time(timeframe.period, nyWindow, "America/New_York"))
bgcolor(inWindow ? color.new(color.teal, 85) : na)

A session test uses each bar's opening time: "1100-1300" matches bars that open "at or after 11:00 and before 13:00".^[7] On a one-hour chart, this sketch therefore marks bars opening from 02:00 to 09:00 New York. An alert on the 09:00 bar's close fires at 10:00 New York, which is 17:00 server time: the window's edge. The ":23456" suffix limits the session to Monday to Friday.^[21] Each function appears in the examples of TradingView's Pine Script v6 User Manual. Record boundary cases like this one when you turn a setup into measurable conditions.

Which PineConnector settings use broker server time?

• EA Active hours. Start Time and End Time restrict when the EA processes incoming signals, and "The time source is the broker's server time shown on the chart". Windows can cross midnight, such as 22:00 to 09:00. Outside the window, this setting ignores signals.^[6]
• Portal Trading Time Limit. The task processes signals inside its window and halts them outside it, using the timezone displayed on the tile. Its documented end time is excluded.^[10]
• Close All Trades task. The task closes positions and pending orders at a weekly day and time, read in the local timezone shown at the bottom of the task.^[10]
• EA Daily Timezone. The setting is a numeric GMT offset from −12 to +14, default 0. The guide notes that some resets are described as midnight GMT+0 and says to confirm the boundary in the Experts log.^[22] Whether the offset follows daylight saving is not documented; test on demo.

PineConnector's tasks guide puts the rule plainly: "Do not copy a time between those controls without checking the timezones".^[10] Where the EA's daily limits should match a broker or prop-firm rule, the EA guide says to compare that rule's "calculation and reset time with the EA's actual logged values".^[22] TradingView's notification schedule adds one more clock, because its times "adapt to your local account time zone".^[23] See how a TradingView notification schedule affects webhooks.

Aligning clocks makes the chart, the alert and the order describe the same hours. It does not change whether a rule is any good.

How do you check your broker's MT5 server time?

1. Read the broker's statement. Find the server offset and whose daylight saving dates it follows, usually on a trading-hours or platform page.^[5][4]
2. Measure it in MT5. While the market is open, compare Market Watch's last quote time, which is server time,^[1] with the current UTC time. The difference is the offset.
3. Reconcile one demo signal. Match the alert and deal, then convert both time bases to UTC.^[8][2] A remaining timestamp difference is not a precise latency measurement: account for display precision, clock alignment and the matched event. MQL5 exposes a separate millisecond deal timestamp for suitably precise records.^[26] The demo reconciliation procedure covers the rest of the record.
4. Repeat after each clock change. In 2026 the US and EU changes fall on 8 March, 29 March, 25 October and 1 November.^[13][14]
5. Check your computer's clock. MQL5's TimeTradeServer() is calculated in the terminal and "depends on the time settings on your computer".^[24] A wrong local clock or time zone can mislead an EA that uses it.

Common mistakes with broker server time

• Assuming every broker uses GMT+2/GMT+3. The offset and its switch dates are the broker's choice. Read your broker's page and measure.
• Comparing the MT5 Journal with History. The Journal uses your computer's time zone; History uses server time.^[3][2]
• Reading {{time}} as the fire time. {{time}} "Returns the time at the beginning of the bar"; {{timenow}} is the time when the alert triggers.^[8]
• Treating Pine's hour as your own clock. The variable uses the exchange time zone.^[7]
• Expecting the Strategy Tester to reveal the offset. In MT5's tester, TimeGMT() "is always equal to TimeTradeServer() simulated server time".^[25]

Frequently asked questions

What time zone is MT5 server time?

MT5 server time is set by each broker, not by MetaQuotes. Several brokers publish GMT+2 in winter and GMT+3 during US daylight saving time, so that server midnight falls at 17:00 New York, but other offsets exist. Check your broker's trading-hours page, then compare MT5 Market Watch's last quote time with UTC.

What timezone does TradingView use?

TradingView charts display times in the time zone chosen in the chart's settings, which changes the display only. Pine Script calculations use the symbol's exchange time zone unless a timezone argument is given. The alert placeholders {{time}} and {{timenow}} are in UTC, and the alert log shows your operating system's time zone.

What time does the forex daily candle close?

No single forex daily close exists. In TradingView's EURUSD examples, the trading day runs from 17:00 to 17:00 New York time. An MT5 broker's daily candle follows its server clock. At brokers on GMT+2/GMT+3 with US daylight saving dates, server midnight is 17:00 New York, so the two daily candles cover the same hours.

How does daylight saving time affect forex server time?

US daylight saving time runs from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, and European summer time from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. A broker on US dates changes its offset in March and November. In 2026 its gap to London is an hour wider from 8 to 28 March and from 25 to 31 October.

Why is my MT5 trade time different from my TradingView alert time?

The TradingView alert log uses the operating system’s time zone and {{timenow}} uses UTC; MT5 History uses broker server time. Convert both before comparing matched events. The remaining gap alone is not precise delivery or processing time: display precision, clock alignment and event matching also matter. Use sufficiently precise recorded timestamps when measuring the path.

Reviewed 25 September 2026. Facts were checked against the linked sources on that date. Nothing in this article was tested on a trading account and no code was compiled.

Related reading

• Trading mechanics: orders, lots, margin and costs
• Forex market sessions: times in UTC and daylight saving
• Why TradingView prices differ from your broker
• Weekend gaps at the forex market open
• Swap and rollover: how overnight fees work

Sources

1. MetaQuotes – MetaTrader 5 Help: Market Watch, accessed 25 September 2026.
2. MetaQuotes – MetaTrader 5 Help: Performing deals, accessed 25 September 2026.
3. MetaQuotes – MetaTrader 5 Help: Journal, accessed 25 September 2026.
4. IC Markets – Forex trading hours, accessed 25 September 2026.
5. Pepperstone – Market trading hours, accessed 25 September 2026.
6. PineConnector – EA settings: Active hours, accessed 25 September 2026.
7. TradingView – Pine Script v6 User Manual: Time, accessed 25 September 2026.
8. TradingView – Pine Script v6 User Manual: Alerts, accessed 25 September 2026.
9. TradingView – What timezone is displayed in alerts?, accessed 25 September 2026.
10. PineConnector – Tasks: Trading Time Limit and Close All Trades, accessed 25 September 2026.
11. Wikipedia – List of tz database time zones (the IANA list linked from TradingView's Time page), accessed 25 September 2026.
12. GOV.UK – When do the clocks change?, accessed 25 September 2026.
13. NIST – Daylight Saving Time Rules, accessed 25 September 2026.
14. European Commission – Summertime, accessed 25 September 2026.
15. FTMO – Trading Update, 5 March 2026, accessed 25 September 2026.
16. MQL5 – MQL5 Programming for Traders: Daylight saving time (local), accessed 25 September 2026.
17. TradingView – Pine Script v6 FAQ: Times, dates and sessions, accessed 25 September 2026.
18. TradingView – What is the difference between ICE and other forex providers?, accessed 25 September 2026.
19. PineConnector – FAQ: price differences, accessed 25 September 2026.
20. PineConnector – Syntax: atrtimeframe= and atrperiod=, accessed 25 September 2026.
21. TradingView – Pine Script v6 User Manual: Sessions, accessed 25 September 2026.
22. PineConnector – EA settings: Daily Timezone and account protection, accessed 25 September 2026.
23. TradingView – Notification schedule for alerts, accessed 25 September 2026.
24. MQL5 Reference – TimeTradeServer, accessed 25 September 2026.
25. MQL5 Reference – TimeGMT, accessed 25 September 2026.
26. MetaQuotes – MQL5 Deal Properties: deal time and millisecond timestamp, accessed 25 September 2026.

PineConnector executes the instructions you send it. It does not select trades, manage money, or hold funds. Trading carries risk, and past performance of any strategy does not indicate future results.