If your staff do not follow the same weekly recurring schedule every week, you can use Irregular Business Hours to add availability for specific dates or repeating non-standard schedules.
Irregular hours can also be added in addition to regular Business Hours.
This gives you flexibility when staff work outside their normal schedule, follow seasonal hours, work alternate weeks, or have one-off availability.
What are Irregular Business Hours?
Irregular Business Hours are availability periods that do not have to follow the staff member’s normal weekly schedule.
They can be used to:
- Add availability on a specific date
- Add extra working hours outside the regular schedule
- Create alternate-day schedules
- Create bi-weekly or monthly recurring availability
- Configure seasonal work hours
- Add availability for guest or occasional staff
Each staff member can have their own irregular schedule.
How to add Irregular Business Hours
Quick navigation
Settings → Business Hours → Irregular → Select Date → + → Add Start and End Time → Add
Steps
- Log in to your Appointy admin account.
- Click Settings in the left toolbar.
- Open Business Hours.
- Switch to the Irregular tab.
Navigate to the date on which you want to add availability.
- Find the staff member whose irregular hours you want to configure.
- Click the + icon on the required date.
- Enter the Start and End times.
- Click Add.
The added time will become available for that staff member based on the repeat settings you choose.
Additional Settings to consider:
When should I use irregular availability?
Use Irregular Business Hours when the staff member’s availability does not fit their normal weekly recurring schedule.
For example:
- A staff member normally does not work Sundays but is available this Sunday
- A consultant works every second Saturday
- A trainer works different hours during summer
- A guest instructor is available only on selected dates
- A staff member works alternate days
- A provider is available on the second Monday of every month
Example: Staff member working an extra Sunday
Suppose a staff member normally works Monday to Friday.
This Sunday, they are available from:
1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Instead of changing their regular Business Hours, add:
Sunday → 1:00 PM – 5:00 PM
under Irregular Business Hours.
This adds availability for that period without changing the normal weekly schedule.
Example: Seasonal availability
Suppose a staff member normally works:
Winter: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
During summer, the business wants them available:
Summer: 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM
Irregular Business Hours can be used to add the summer schedule for the required date range without changing the staff member’s underlying regular hours.
Repeat settings for Irregular Business Hours
When adding irregular availability, you can choose how the time should repeat.
| Repeat setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| Daily | Makes the added time available every day until the configured end date |
| Alternate Day | Makes the added time available every other day until the end date |
| Weekly | Repeats the availability on the selected weekday(s) every week until the end date |
| Bi-weekly | Repeats on the selected weekday(s) every second week until the end date |
| Monthly – Date | Repeats on the selected calendar date each month until the end date |
| Monthly – Day | Repeats on a specific occurrence of a weekday each month, such as the second Monday |
Example: Every second Monday
If a staff member is available on the second Monday of every month, use:
Monthly – Day
and configure the second Monday as the recurring pattern.
Are irregular hours dependent on regular Business Hours?
No.
Irregular availability is independent of the staff member’s regular working schedule.
For example, even if the regular schedule does not include Sunday, adding:
Sunday, 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
as irregular availability can open those hours for booking.
How do blocked times affect irregular availability?
Irregular availability is still affected by blocked time for that staff member unless you configure otherwise while adding the irregular period.
So if a staff member has irregular availability from:
10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
but part of that period is blocked, the blocked time can still prevent bookings during that portion.
Regular vs Irregular Business Hours
| Regular Business Hours | Irregular Business Hours |
|---|---|
| Used for normal recurring weekly schedules | Used for exceptions and non-standard schedules |
| Example: Mon–Fri, 9 AM–5 PM | Example: This Sunday, 1 PM–5 PM |
| Best for stable weekly availability | Best for one-off, seasonal, alternate, or special schedules |
| Repeats as the standard work pattern | Can follow custom repeat rules |
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I add irregular hours in addition to regular Business Hours?
Yes. Irregular hours can be added on top of the regular schedule.
Can I make a staff member available on a day they normally do not work?
Yes. Add irregular availability for that date.
Can irregular hours repeat?
Yes. You can use Daily, Alternate Day, Weekly, Bi-weekly, Monthly-Date, or Monthly-Day repeat options.
Can I use irregular hours for seasonal schedules?
Yes. This is a good use case when staff work different hours during different seasons.
Can I use irregular hours for guest staff?
Yes. You can use irregular availability for staff who work only on selected dates.
Are irregular hours dependent on regular hours?
No. Irregular hours can open availability outside the regular schedule.
Do blocked times still apply?
Yes. Blocked times can still restrict irregular availability unless configured otherwise.