If the time of your PHP scripts differs from the system time, it's likely that there's a configuration issue related to time settings in your PHP environment. Here are steps to troubleshoot and potentially resolve the issue:

1. Check PHP Configuration:

   Verify the timezone setting in your php.ini file. This file controls the settings for PHP. Look for the line:

   ini

• date.timezone = "Your/Timezone"

  Make sure the timezone is correctly set for your location. You can find a list of supported time zones here.

• Restart Web Server:

  After making changes to the php.ini file, you may need to restart your web server (e.g., Apache, Nginx) for the changes to take effect.

• Check Server Time:

  Verify that your server's system time is correct. Use the date command in the terminal:

  bash
• date

  If the system time is incorrect, you may need to update it using a command like ntpdate.

• Use date_default_timezone_set:

  You can also set the timezone directly in your PHP script using the date_default_timezone_set function. Place this at the beginning of your script:

  php

4. date_default_timezone_set('Your/Timezone');

5. Check for Server-Level Configuration:

   If you're in a shared hosting environment, there may be server-level configurations that override individual user settings. In such cases, you might need to contact your hosting provider for assistance.

6. Permissions and Ownership:

   Ensure that your PHP scripts have the necessary permissions to access and modify system time. This might be relevant if you're running scripts as a specific user.

7. Check for Daylight Saving Time (DST):

   If you're observing discrepancies during DST changes, make sure both the server and PHP are configured to handle DST correctly.

8. Hardware Clock Configuration:

   In some cases, the hardware clock of the server might be set incorrectly. You may need to adjust the hardware clock.

9. Consider Using UTC:

   It's often a good practice to use UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) in your scripts and application, and then convert it to the user's local time when displaying. This can help avoid timezone-related issues.

10. Consult Hosting Support:

If you're on a shared hosting environment and none of the above steps resolve the issue, consider reaching out to your hosting provider's support team for further assistance.

Remember to test any changes in a controlled environment before applying them to a production server.