diff --git a/main.go b/main.go
index 85fff87..cbd6c6a 100644
--- a/main.go
+++ b/main.go
@@ -482,7 +482,7 @@ type latestRelease struct {
 }
 
 func runAutoUpdater(config *Config) {
-	t := time.Now().Add(30 * time.Second)
+	t := time.Now().UTC().Add(30 * time.Second)
 	nextUpdateCheck = &t
 
 	time.Sleep(30 * time.Second)
@@ -496,7 +496,7 @@ func runAutoUpdater(config *Config) {
 }
 
 func scheduleNextUpdateCheck() {
-	t := time.Now().Add(updateCheckInterval)
+	t := time.Now().UTC().Add(updateCheckInterval)
 	nextUpdateCheck = &t
 }
 
@@ -730,7 +730,7 @@ func collectAndSend(config *Config) {
 
 func collectMetrics(config *Config) (*Metrics, error) {
 	metrics := &Metrics{
-		Timestamp:        time.Now(),
+		Timestamp:        time.Now().UTC(),
 		Token:            config.Token,
 		Hostname:         config.Hostname,
 		CollectorVersion: version,
diff --git a/payload.json b/payload.json
index a10cead..2e48688 100644
--- a/payload.json
+++ b/payload.json
@@ -1,9 +1,9 @@
 {
-  "timestamp": "2026-02-14T14:09:08.879637+10:00",
+  "timestamp": "2026-02-14T04:09:08.879637Z",
   "token": "pw_tok_example_abc123",
   "hostname": "web-1",
   "collector_version": "0.2.0",
-  "next_update_check": "2026-02-25T16:30:00+10:00",
+  "next_update_check": "2026-02-25T06:30:00Z",
   "uptime": 92582,
   "system": {
     "os": "linux",