How To Convert Mountain Time to Philippine Time (MST To PHT)

Here’s the core thing you need to know.

Mountain Standard Time (MST) is 15 hours behind Philippine Time (PHT).

When it’s 9 AM Tuesday in Denver, it’s midnight Wednesday in Manila.

Already the next day.

But wait. There’s a wrinkle.

During daylight saving time (March to November), the Mountain region switches to Mountain Daylight Time (MDT).

MDT is only 14 hours behind PHT.

So 9 AM Tuesday MDT becomes 11 PM Tuesday PHT.

Still late at night. But now it’s the same calendar day.

The Philippines doesn’t do daylight saving time. Their clocks never change. Which actually makes things simpler once you remember this one fact.

Mountain Standard Time to Philippine Time (November to March)

Here’s every hour of your workday converted to Philippine Time during standard time.

Look at 9 AM. That’s when most US workdays start.

It’s midnight in the Philippines. The next day has already started there.

Your afternoon? That’s their morning.

Mountain Daylight Time to Philippine Time (March to November)

During daylight saving time, everything shifts one hour earlier in the Philippines.

Now 9 AM is 11 PM in Manila. Same calendar day, but still late at night.

The practical difference? Not huge. Your typical workday still falls during their nighttime hours.

But it matters for scheduling. And it definitely matters twice a year when the clocks change.

The Quick Mental Math Trick

Don’t want to check a table every time?

Here’s the shortcut.

Add 15 hours to MST. Add 14 hours to MDT.

And remember: it’s almost always “tomorrow” in the Philippines.

So 9 AM MST? Add 15 hours. That’s 24 hours (midnight) + 0 hours. Midnight the next day.

5 PM MST? Add 15 hours. That’s 17 + 15 = 32. Subtract 24. That’s 8 AM the next day.

It gets easier with practice.

Three Ways Companies Actually Structure These Schedules

Not everyone does full alignment.

In fact, most successful long-term arrangements don’t.

Here are the three models I keep seeing.

Full Mountain Time Alignment

This is where your remote worker mirrors your 9 AM to 5 PM Mountain schedule exactly. They’re working from midnight to 8 AM Manila time (MST) or 11 PM to 7 AM (MDT).

When does this actually make sense?

Phone-based customer support. Medical or administrative roles that need real-time coverage. 

Jobs where you need someone available for ad-hoc calls throughout your day.

But here’s the thing. Workers who do this long-term often burn out. 

They mention chronic sleep debt. Difficulty exercising. Missing daytime family life entirely.

It works. But it’s hard to sustain.

Partial Overlap Plus Asynchronous Work

This is the sweet spot for most roles.

Your remote worker does 3 to 4 hours of live overlap with your morning. Maybe 6 AM to 10 AM Mountain (which is 9 PM to 1 AM MST or 8 PM to midnight MDT for them).

The rest of their work happens during their daytime. They knock out projects. Prepare deliverables. Handle tasks that don’t need real-time communication.

This works great for developers, marketers, operations roles, content creators. Basically anything that isn’t phone-based.

You still get face time. But they also get to sleep at night.

Philippine Daytime With Strategic Calls

Some companies go even further.

The team works normal 9 AM to 5 PM Manila time. 

But they attend one or two recurring calls late at night or very early in the morning.

Maybe a weekly planning meeting at 10 PM. Or a quick daily standup at 6 AM.

The Bottom Line

Mountain Time to Philippine Time is a 14 or 15-hour difference depending on daylight saving time.

Your 9 to 5 is their midnight to 8 AM.

That’s not impossible to manage. But it’s also not trivial.

If you truly need full coverage during Mountain Time hours, hire for it explicitly. Pay for it fairly. Design the role to be sustainable.

If you don’t actually need full coverage, consider partial overlap plus asynchronous work. You’ll get better work and higher retention.

Either way, be clear about expectations.

Use the right tools.

And remember that when you’re drinking your morning coffee, they’re working through the night.

That matters.

FAQs

What is the time difference between Gulf Standard Time and Philippine Time?

Philippine Time (PHT) is 4 hours ahead of Gulf Standard Time (GST). When it’s 9:00 AM in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, it’s 1:00 PM in Manila. This time difference remains constant year-round since neither region observes daylight saving time.

What are the best meeting times for GST and PHT?

The ideal overlap window is 8 AM to 2 PM GST, which converts to 12 PM to 6 PM PHT. During these 6 hours, Filipino remote workers are in their afternoon work block and employers in the Gulf region are in their morning to early afternoon. This allows for productive real-time collaboration without requiring late-night or early-morning meetings.

Do the Gulf region and Philippines change for daylight saving time?

No, neither the Gulf region nor the Philippines observes daylight saving time. The 4-hour time difference between GST and PHT stays consistent throughout the entire year, making scheduling and long-term planning much simpler compared to working with countries that do change their clocks twice annually.