If you use Acuity Scheduling on your Squarespace website, making sure your time zone is configured correctly is essential.
Whether you offer online consultations, virtual appointments, coaching sessions or in-person services, your scheduling system needs to display the correct appointment times for both you and your clients.
One common issue is that clients may see appointment times that differ from the business owner's local time. This can happen when Acuity Scheduling is configured to use a different time zone or when clients are accessing the booking page from another country.
The good news is that Acuity Scheduling has built-in time zone settings that allow you to control how appointment times are displayed.
In this guide, we'll explain how to change your time zone in Acuity Scheduling, configure how clients view appointment times and ensure your Squarespace scheduling integration works as expected.
Table of Contents
Why is the time zone important in Acuity Scheduling?
Acuity Scheduling is designed to allow businesses to accept appointments from clients in different locations.
For example, imagine your business is based in the United Kingdom, but you offer online consultations to clients in the United States, Europe or the Caribbean.
A client in New York may see a different appointment time from you because of the time difference between the two locations.
This is perfectly normal.
However, if your business time zone is configured incorrectly, it can lead to confusion, missed appointments and incorrect scheduling information.
Getting the time zone right helps ensure:
Your availability is displayed correctly.
Clients can book appointments at the intended times.
Appointment confirmation emails contain the correct information.
Automated reminders are sent using the appropriate time zone.
Your appointments remain synchronised with external calendars.
Before changing anything, it's important to understand that Acuity Scheduling manages time zones independently of your main Squarespace website settings.
Changing the time zone in Squarespace website settings will not necessarily change the time zone used by Acuity Scheduling.
How to change the time zone in Acuity Scheduling
Changing your business time zone is relatively straightforward.
Follow the steps below.
Step 1: Log in to your Acuity Scheduling account
First, log in to your Acuity Scheduling account.
If you access Acuity through Squarespace, open your Squarespace dashboard and navigate to your scheduling account.
You can also access Acuity directly through its scheduling dashboard.
Step 2: Open Availability settings
Once inside your Acuity Scheduling dashboard:
Click Availability in the navigation menu.
Locate Global Scheduling Limits.
Click to open the scheduling limits settings.
Select the Time Zone tab.
This is where you can configure the main time zone settings for your scheduling system.
Step 3: Select your business time zone
Under the Time Zone tab, you'll find the time zone dropdown menu.
Select the time zone that corresponds to your business location.
For example:
United Kingdom: London (GMT/BST).
Grenada: Atlantic Standard Time (AST).
New York: Eastern Time.
Los Angeles: Pacific Time.
Paris: Central European Time.
Make sure you select the correct geographical time zone rather than simply choosing a fixed UTC offset.
This is particularly important for countries that observe daylight saving time.
For example, the United Kingdom switches between Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and British Summer Time (BST). Selecting the appropriate geographical time zone allows Acuity to handle these changes automatically.
Step 4: Choose how clients see appointment times
Acuity Scheduling also allows you to control how clients interact with time zones when booking appointments.
Under the Time Zone settings, you'll find options for determining the default time zone used by your scheduling page.
There are three main approaches:
Option 1: Default to business time zone
This displays appointment availability using your business's time zone.
You can also decide whether clients are allowed to change the time zone themselves.
If you want everyone to book using the same time zone, this is generally the best option
Option 2: Allow clients to change the time zone
If you select your business time zone as the default, you can enable the option allowing clients to change their time zone.
This is useful if you work with clients internationally.
For example, your business may operate in the UK, but a client booking an online consultation from New York may prefer to view appointment availability in Eastern Time.
Option 3: Default to client time zone
Acuity can automatically detect the client's time zone using their browser settings.
This means clients will see available appointments in their local time zone when visiting your scheduling page.
They can also change the selected time zone if necessary.
This is particularly useful for businesses offering online appointments to customers around the world.
Step 5: Save your changes
Once you've selected your preferred settings, click Save Changes.
Your Acuity Scheduling account will now use the updated time zone configuration.
It's worth checking your scheduling page afterwards to ensure the appointment times are being displayed as expected.
How to change the time zone for individual calendars
If you offer different services or operate from multiple locations, you may have more than one calendar within Acuity Scheduling.
For example, you might have:
One calendar for online consultations.
One calendar for appointments at your UK location.
Another calendar for appointments at an overseas location.
Acuity allows you to configure individual time zones for separate calendars, although this feature is only available on the Premium and Powerhouse plans.
To change the time zone for an individual calendar:
Open your Acuity Scheduling dashboard.
Click Availability.
Locate the calendar you want to change.
Click Calendar Settings.
Find the Time Zone dropdown menu.
Select the appropriate time zone.
Click Save.
Repeat these steps for any additional calendars that require a different time zone.
If you're using individual calendar time zones with the class scheduling template, there is an additional consideration: the main scheduler defaults to your business time zone. To use the individual calendar time zones, you should embed or link directly to the relevant calendar's scheduler.
How does Acuity Scheduling handle different time zones?
One of the advantages of using Acuity Scheduling is that it automatically converts appointment times between different time zones.
Let's look at an example.
Imagine your business is based in London and you offer a 30-minute online consultation.
You make an appointment available at 3:00 PM UK time.
A client accessing your scheduling page from New York may see that appointment displayed at 10:00 AM Eastern Time, depending on the time of year.
Both times refer to exactly the same appointment.
Acuity handles the conversion automatically, so you don't need to manually calculate the time difference for every booking.
What happens to existing appointments when you change the time zone?
This is something worth understanding before changing your settings.
When you update the time zone on your calendar, existing appointments are automatically translated to the new time zone.
For example, if an appointment was originally scheduled for 9:00 AM Eastern Time and you change the calendar to Central Time, the appointment will display as 8:00 AM Central Time.
The actual appointment remains the same moment in time, but its displayed local time changes.
If you're changing your business location or calendar settings, it's therefore important to review your upcoming appointments.
How to check your time zone in Squarespace
If you have embedded Acuity Scheduling into your Squarespace website using a Scheduling Block, you may wonder whether you need to change anything within Squarespace itself.
The important distinction is that your Squarespace website and Acuity Scheduling have separate regional and time zone settings.
Your Scheduling Block displays the Acuity booking interface on your website, but the time zone settings are controlled through your Acuity account.
Therefore, if appointment times are incorrect, you should check your Acuity settings first rather than changing your Squarespace website settings.
Once you've updated the Acuity settings, revisit the page containing your Scheduling Block to check that everything is displaying correctly.
Common Acuity Scheduling time zone problems
Even when your settings appear correct, you may occasionally experience time zone issues.
Here are some things worth checking.
Appointment times are showing incorrectly
If your appointment times appear incorrect, first check the business time zone under Availability and Global Scheduling Limits.
If you have multiple calendars, check the individual time zone settings as well.
Also, remember that your browser or computer may be using a different time zone from your business.
Clients are seeing a different appointment time
This isn't necessarily a problem.
If your scheduling page is configured to use the client's time zone, Acuity will automatically convert the available appointment times based on their location.
Check whether your scheduler is set to default to the business time zone or the client time zone.
Daylight saving time is causing confusion
Acuity automatically accounts for daylight saving time based on the selected geographical time zones.
You shouldn't need to manually adjust appointment times when the clocks change.
If your business is located somewhere that doesn't observe daylight saving time, make sure you select the appropriate geographical time zone rather than a location that changes its UTC offset during the year.
An appointment is showing incorrectly in Google Calendar or Outlook
If you synchronise Acuity with an external calendar, check the time zone settings within Google Calendar or Outlook as well.
Acuity may be displaying the correct appointment time while your external calendar is configured to use a different time zone.
A client has selected the wrong time zone
If a client selects an incorrect time zone when booking, Acuity does not allow you to simply edit that client's time zone after the appointment has been created.
The existing appointment needs to be cancelled and booked again using the correct time zone.
Key Takeaways
Acuity Scheduling has its own time zone settings
Your Acuity time zone is managed independently of your main Squarespace website settings.
You can change your business time zone
Navigate to Availability → Global Scheduling Limits → Time Zone to update your main scheduling time zone.
Clients can use their own time zones
You can allow clients to select their preferred time zone or have Acuity detect it automatically.
Individual calendars can have different time zones
This is available on the Premium and Powerhouse plans.
Appointment times are automatically converted
Acuity handles time zone conversions between your business and your clients.
Daylight saving time is handled automatically
You shouldn't need to manually change appointment times when the clocks move forward or backwards.
The time format is a separate setting
You can choose between 12-hour and 24-hour time displays under Scheduling Page → Settings → Localization.
FAQs
How do I change the time zone in Acuity Scheduling?
Log in to your Acuity Scheduling account, navigate to Availability, select Global Scheduling Limits and open the Time Zone tab. From there, you can select your preferred business time zone and configure how clients see appointment times.
Does changing the Squarespace time zone change the Acuity Scheduling time zone?
No. Acuity Scheduling manages its time zone settings separately from your main Squarespace website. You need to update the time zone directly within your Acuity account.
Can clients see appointment times in their own time zone?
Yes. Acuity allows you to configure your scheduler to use the client's time zone automatically or give clients the option to select their preferred time zone when booking.
Does Acuity automatically adjust for daylight saving time?
Yes. Acuity automatically accounts for daylight saving time based on the selected geographical time zones. You do not need to manually adjust your appointment availability when the clocks change.
Can I set different time zones for different Acuity calendars?
Yes. If you have a Premium or Powerhouse plan, you can configure a different time zone for each calendar through its individual Calendar Settings.
Why are my Acuity appointment times different from my Squarespace website time?
Your Squarespace website and Acuity Scheduling operate using separate time zone settings. Acuity may also display appointment times based on the client's local time zone rather than your business location.
Can I change an appointment's time zone after someone has booked?
You cannot directly change the client's selected time zone after an appointment has been booked. The appointment needs to be cancelled and booked again using the correct time zone.
Does Acuity work with international clients?
Yes. Acuity supports international scheduling and can automatically convert appointment times between different time zones. This makes it suitable for businesses offering online consultations, coaching and other services to clients around the world.
Conclusion
Getting your time zone settings right in Acuity Scheduling is an important part of running a reliable online booking system.
Whether you operate locally or work with clients internationally, you want to make sure that everyone sees the correct appointment times.
Fortunately, Acuity makes this relatively straightforward.
You can configure your business time zone, allow clients to select their own time zones, use automatic time zone detection and even assign different time zones to individual calendars if your subscription supports it.
The important thing to remember is that these settings are managed within Acuity Scheduling rather than through your main Squarespace website settings.
Once everything is configured correctly, Acuity will take care of the time zone conversions and daylight saving adjustments automatically.
At Primitus Consultancy, we work with Squarespace websites and integrations, helping businesses get more from their websites through design, customisation and technical support.
Whether you need help setting up Acuity Scheduling, integrating it into your Squarespace website or resolving an existing scheduling issue, we can help.
If you have any questions or need any help with your Squarespace website design, you can book a 1:1 consultation.
All work in this guide is provided ‘as-is’. Other than as provided this guide makes no other warranties, expressed or implied, and hereby disclaims all implied warranties, including any warranty of fitness for a particular purpose.
If you require professional advice, you can book our consultation services.
