# Set Business Hours for an Extension

Each extension can carry its own time zone and working schedule. This lets team members spread across regions see call activity and manage availability against their local clock, rather than the time zone of the wider system.

## Before you start

:::note
This feature needs Cloud Voice firmware version 84.18.0.59 or later. If the **Business Hours** section described below does not appear on the extension, the system may be on an older firmware version and needs updating first.
:::

Make sure system-wide time zones and business hours already exist. You define these under **Call Control > Business Hours and Holidays**. An extension can only inherit or build on schedules that the system already knows about, so set those up first. For background on how these time definitions work, see [Overview of business hours and holidays](/pbx/administrator-guide/overview-of-business-hours-and-holidays/).

## Configure an extension

1. Sign in to the PBX (Private Branch Exchange) web portal, then open **Extension and Trunk > Extension**.
2. Find the extension you want to change and click the edit icon next to it.

   ![Edit icon shown beside an extension in the list](/images/pbx/edit.png)

3. Open the **Features** tab and scroll to the **Business Hours** section.
4. From the **Time Zone** drop-down, choose the time zone that applies to this extension.
5. Decide how the extension's working schedule is set:

   :::tip
   Inheriting the time zone's shared schedule keeps every extension in that region on one set of hours, so you maintain the schedule in a single place. Choose custom hours only when this person's availability genuinely differs from the regional default.
   :::

   - **Follow the time zone's schedule**: select **Use Business Hours Configured for This Time Zone** to inherit the business hours already defined for the chosen time zone.

     ![Extension set to inherit the business hours of its selected time zone](/images/pbx/default-business-hours-in-time-zone.png)

   - **Define a custom schedule**: select **Use Custom Business Hours**, then build the schedule for this extension.

     ![Custom business hours being defined for a single extension](/images/pbx/custom-business-hours-for-extension.png)

     a. Select **Use Custom Business Hours**.
     b. Under **Business hours**, click **Add**.
     c. Fill in the time settings in the dialog, then click **Save**:

        - **Business Hours**: the periods when the user is available to make and receive calls.
        - **Break Hours**: rest breaks that fall within the working day.
        - **Date Settings**: which days the schedule applies to:

          | Option | Description |
          | --- | --- |
          | Days of Week | Use specific weekdays as the condition for the schedule. |
          | Advanced Options | Combine week, month, and date for more flexible scheduling. |

6. Click **Save**, then **Apply**.

   :::caution
   The change is not live until you click **Apply**. Clicking **Save** on its own only stages the configuration.
   :::

## What changes after you save

- Times shown for the extension, in items such as emails and voicemails, now reflect the selected time zone.
- The extension's schedule takes effect when it [switches presence automatically based on business hours and holidays](/pbx/administrator-guide/automatically-switch-presence-based-on-business-hours-and-holidays/).

  :::note
  Holidays are read against the time settings of the selected time zone.
  :::

- When an extension uses a custom schedule, the user can adjust it themselves from the Cloud Voice App (Web and Desktop) under **Preferences > Features > Business Hours**.