Availability Schedules in TidyCal

Availability in TidyCal lets you create multiple named schedules that define when clients can book you. Create different schedules for different purposes (e.g., “Winter Hours”, “Consulting Only”) and assign them to specific booking types.

To manage your availability, click Availability in the left sidebar or go to tidycal.com/dashboard/availability.

All plans (Free, Individual, Agency, and Pro) have full access to availability schedules with no limits on the number of schedules you can create.

How Availability Works

Availability defines the broad window when TidyCal can offer booking slots. It is not a business-hours setting — TidyCal always checks your connected calendars (Google, Outlook, Apple) to determine when you’re truly free.

Here’s how TidyCal determines available slots:

1. Your availability schedule defines the hours you’re open to bookings
2. TidyCal checks your connected calendars for conflicts
3. Only time slots where you’re actually free are shown to clients

Your external calendars always take priority. If you have a calendar event during an “available” window, TidyCal blocks that slot automatically.

The Availability Page

The Availability page shows all your schedules as cards. Each card displays:

• Schedule name (e.g., “Default Schedule”, “Summer Hours”)
• Default badge — A blue “Default” badge on your default schedule
• Your timezone
• Weekly schedule — A table showing your available hours for each day of the week
• Available dates and Date overrides — the dates you have opened up or blocked off, grouped into ranges (for example, Jul 10 to Jul 24)

Each schedule card has an Edit button to open the schedule editor, where you add or change dates. The three-dot menu provides:

• Set as default — Make this the default schedule (not shown on the current default)
• Duplicate — Create a copy of this schedule with “(Copy)” appended to the name
• Delete — Remove this schedule (not available for the default schedule)

Creating a New Schedule

1. Go to Availability in the sidebar
2. Click the New schedule button in the top right
3. The schedule editor drawer opens on the right side
4. Enter an "Availability title" for your schedule
5. Configure your weekly hours:
   • Enable or disable individual days of the week
   • Set start and end times for each day
   • Add multiple time windows per day (e.g., 9:00am–12:00pm and 1:00pm–5:00pm)
6. Optionally add blocked dates to block off specific dates or whole date ranges, or switch the editor to Specific dates to make the schedule bookable only on the dates you choose
7. Click Save

The new schedule appears in your list. It will not be the default unless you explicitly set it.

Editing a Schedule

1. Click the Edit button on the schedule card (or click anywhere on the card) to open the editor
2. The editor drawer opens with the current schedule settings
3. Modify the name, weekly hours, or date overrides
4. Click Save to apply changes

Changes apply immediately to all booking types using this schedule.

List view vs. Calendar view

Inside the editor you can switch how you edit your hours using the List view / Calendar view toggle at the top of the schedule card:

• List view (the default) shows each day as a row where you type start and end times.
• Calendar view shows a weekly grid where you can click and drag to create, move, and resize your available blocks. Events on your connected calendars appear as busy overlays, so you can spot conflicts while you set your hours.

Both views edit the same schedule and save with the same Save button — switching between them never changes your hours. (Date polls always use the calendar editor and do not show this toggle.)

Setting a Default Schedule

Your default schedule is used by booking types that don’t have a specific schedule assigned. It’s marked with a blue Default badge.

To change your default:

1. Click the three-dot menu on the schedule you want as the new default
2. Select Set as default
3. The page reloads with the updated default

Only one schedule can be the default at a time. When you set a new default, the previous default loses its badge.

Duplicating a Schedule

To quickly create a schedule based on an existing one:

1. Click the three-dot menu on the schedule you want to copy
2. Select Duplicate
3. A new schedule is created with “(Copy)” added to the name, containing the same hours

You can then edit the duplicate to adjust the hours for your needs.

Deleting a Schedule

1. Click the three-dot menu on the schedule you want to remove
2. Select Delete
3. Confirm in the dialog: “Are you sure you want to delete [schedule name]? Booking types using this schedule will fall back to the default.”

Important:

• You cannot delete the default schedule. If you need to replace it, create a new schedule, set it as default, then delete the old one.
• When a schedule is deleted, any booking types that were using it automatically fall back to your default schedule.

Assigning Schedules to Booking Types

Each booking type can use a specific availability schedule or fall back to the default. TidyCal uses this priority order to determine available slots:

1. Booking type’s own availability windows — If the booking type has custom availability configured directly, those are used first
2. Linked schedule — If the booking type is assigned to a specific schedule, that schedule’s windows are used
3. Default schedule — If no specific assignment, the default schedule is used

To assign a schedule to a booking type, edit the booking type and select the desired schedule from the availability options.

Weekly Hours vs. Date Overrides

Weekly Hours (Recurring)

Set your regular recurring availability for each day of the week. For example:

• Monday–Friday: 9:00am – 5:00pm
• Saturday: 10:00am – 2:00pm
• Sunday: Unavailable

You can add multiple time windows per day. For example, if you take a lunch break:

• Monday: 9:00am – 12:00pm, 1:00pm – 5:00pm

Date Overrides (Blocked Dates)

Date overrides change a specific date — or a whole range of dates — without touching your weekly hours. In the schedule editor, the Blocked dates (overrides) section sits below your weekly hours.

To block off dates:

1. Click Add blocked dates to open the calendar
2. Click a day to select it, then click a second day to select the whole range between them. Keep clicking to add more ranges or individual days, then click Apply
3. Selected dates are blocked all day by default (shown as “Unavailable all day”). To block only part of a day, turn off the Block all day toggle and set a time window — use New window to block more than one window in a day

Consecutive blocked days with the same hours are shown together as a range (for example, “Jul 10 → Jul 24”). Past blocked dates move into a read-only View past dates list, which you can clear. Use date overrides for:

• Custom hours on a specific day (e.g., December 24: 9:00am – 12:00pm)
• Blocking a date entirely (e.g., January 1: Unavailable)

Date overrides take priority over weekly hours for that specific date.

Specific Available Dates

If you take bookings only on certain dates rather than a recurring weekly pattern, switch the editor’s Weekly / Specific dates control to Specific dates. Click Add dates, pick the days or ranges the same way, and set the hours you are available — the schedule is then bookable only on the dates you add.

Common Use Cases for Multiple Schedules

• Seasonal hours: Create “Summer Hours” and “Winter Hours” schedules, switch default as needed
• Service-specific availability: “Consultations” schedule (weekday mornings) vs “Quick Calls” schedule (weekday afternoons)
• Part-time schedules: “Full Days” for your main booking types, “Half Days” for lower-priority ones
• Client-type schedules: Different availability windows for new vs. existing clients

Troubleshooting

No Dates Showing on Booking Page

If your booking calendar shows no selectable dates:

• Check that your schedule has at least one day enabled with time windows
• Ensure time windows are long enough for the booking type’s duration (e.g., a 60-minute meeting needs a time window of at least 60 minutes)
• Verify the booking type is using the correct schedule

Booking Type Using the Wrong Schedule

Edit the booking type and verify which schedule it’s assigned to. If no schedule is assigned, it uses the default schedule.

Can’t Delete a Schedule

You cannot delete the default schedule. Create a new schedule, set it as default, then delete the old one.

Duplicate Schedule Names

TidyCal allows duplicate schedule names. If you duplicate a schedule, "(Copy)" is appended to the name automatically. You can rename it afterward.

Tip: Use the Troubleshoot availability button on your booking page to see exactly which slots are blocked and why. Slots affected by this setting show the SCHEDULE badge. See How to Fix Missing Availability for details.

Team booking types note: The troubleshooter checks only the plan owner's calendar events and existing bookings, not each host individually. For team booking types (Collective or Round Robin), the slots shown here may differ from what your public team booking page displays — each team member should also check their own Default Availability, connected calendar, and existing TidyCal bookings. See Simplify Team Scheduling for per-host availability details.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are there limits on how many schedules I can create?

No. All plans (Free, Individual, Agency, and Pro) can create unlimited availability schedules.

Does my connected calendar override my availability schedule?

Yes. TidyCal always checks your connected calendars. If you have a calendar event during an available window, that slot is blocked automatically.

What does the “Default” schedule mean?

The default schedule is used by booking types that don’t have a specific schedule assigned. You always have one default schedule, marked with a blue “Default” badge.

What happens to booking types when I delete a schedule?

Booking types that were using the deleted schedule automatically fall back to your default schedule.

How does availability work with Teams?

In team booking types, each team member is checked individually against four signals: their Default Availability schedule (in their own timezone), their connected calendar's Busy events, their existing TidyCal bookings from other booking types, and the booking type's own restrictions (notice, padding, booking limits). For Collective meetings, a slot appears only when all selected hosts are free on every signal. For Round Robin, a slot appears when at least one host is free.