How booking start times work

When a client picks a day on your booking page, TimeToBook works out every start time that would genuinely work, live, at that moment. Here's how it decides.

How often start times are offered

By default, times are offered in 15-minute steps from the start of the staff member's day: 9:00, 9:15, 9:30 and so on. This is the same whatever the length of the service. A 45-minute cut and a 2-hour colour both get times every 15 minutes.

The steps start from the staff member's start time (or your opening time, if that's later). So if someone starts at 9:00, their times land on the hour and quarter hours.

You can change this under Start times in the Booking Rules of Settings → Booking Page:

Every 15 minutes: the default, as above.
Every 30 minutes: times on the hour and half hour only, like 9:00, 9:30, 10:00.
On the hour: times on the hour only, like 9:00, 10:00, 11:00.

With 30 minutes or on the hour, times always sit on the clock, even if you open at an odd time. If you open at 9:10, the first time offered is 9:30 (or 10:00 on the hour).

This only changes which start times clients can pick. Each booking still takes its full service length, so a 45-minute cut booked at 10:00 finishes at 10:45, and the next time on offer is 11:00. Bookings you add yourself on the Calendar aren't limited by this setting.

A time only shows if the whole appointment fits

For each possible start time, TimeToBook checks two things:

It fits inside working hours. The service, plus any processing or buffer time after it, has to finish by the end of the staff member's working hours. On days your business is open, it also has to sit within your business hours.
It doesn't clash with anything. It can't overlap another booking, that booking's buffer time, or a block (like lunch or a day off).

If a client picks more than one service, the whole chain has to fit, back to back.

If the client chose First available, a time shows as long as at least one staff member who does that service can take it.

Processing time lets shorter services slot in

Processing time is hands-off time, like colour developing. Other clients can be booked into it. So if a colour has 45 minutes of processing, a client booking a quick cut may see times inside that window. Buffer time is different: it keeps the stylist free, so nothing can be booked over it. See Setting up services for how to set both.

Why times disappear

The list updates the moment something changes:

Someone books. Once a time is taken, every other start time that would overlap it disappears too.
Someone is paying a deposit. While a client is paying, their time is held for up to 15 minutes. If they don't finish, it comes back.
You add a booking or block on the calendar. Online times update to match.

Why you might see 4:15 and 4:30 for a 45-minute cut

With times every 15 minutes, a client can see start times closer together than your service length. For example:

Your stylist has a booking that ends at 4:15pm and another that starts at 5:15pm.
That leaves exactly an hour free.
A 45-minute cut (with no buffer time) fits starting at 4:15 (finishing 5:00) or 4:30 (finishing 5:15). Both are offered.
A 4:45 start would run into the 5:15 booking, so it isn't shown.

Once a client books 4:15, the 4:30 time disappears, because it would now overlap.

If a gap is too short for the service, no times show in it at all. A 45-minute cut won't be offered in a 30-minute gap.

If you'd rather clients only pick tidy times, set Start times to Every 30 minutes or On the hour. In the example above, on the hour would offer neither 4:15 nor 4:30, since no hour start fits in that gap.

Settings that hide times

These are under Booking Rules in Settings → Booking Page:

Minimum notice required: hides times too soon from now. With 2 hours set, at 10:00am the earliest time a client sees is 12:00pm.
Same-day bookings: when this is off, clients can't book today at all. The earliest day is tomorrow.
Maximum days in advance: how far ahead clients can book. Leave it blank to allow up to 365 days.
Start times: every 15 minutes, every 30 minutes, or on the hour (see above).

Hours that change week to week

If a staff member (or your whole business) works a two-week rota, tick Different hours every other week in their working hours and set up Week A and Week B. The booking page follows the rota automatically, so the times offered match whichever week it is. See Managing staff.

For one-off time off, add a block on the Calendar instead. See Using the calendar.

No times showing at all?

If a day shows no times when you expect some, the Troubleshooting guide has a checklist under No time slots are showing for clients.

Bookings you add yourself on the Calendar skip the notice, same-day and working hours rules, so you can fit a client in early or late by hand. They still can't overlap another booking.