How to update holiday hours on Google Business Profile

Choose the right type of hours

A holiday closure and a permanent schedule change are different updates. Google’s Special hours lets you set exceptions for specific dates while keeping the regular weekly schedule. Google recommends confirming official holiday hours even when you will follow your usual schedule.

For a closure lasting seven or more consecutive days, Google directs businesses to use Temporarily closed. More hours serves a different purpose: separate hours for particular services. Choose the setting that describes what customers will actually experience.

Reference: Google: Special hours and other operating changes

Enter the dates in your profile

Open the Business Profile you manage, choose Edit profile, then Hours. Edit Special hours, select the relevant date, and enter the opening and closing times or mark the day closed. Save the change. Review each affected date instead of assuming one entry covers an entire holiday period.

Reference: Google: Steps for setting Special hours

Keep one approved schedule

Our recommended workflow is to start with a small shared schedule. Record the date, the customer-facing hours, whether appointments are available, who approved the change, and which channels have been updated. Assign one person to resolve conflicting information.

For example, a business may close its office at 1 PM on a particular Friday while accepting online enquiries all day. That is an illustrative scenario, not a suggested schedule. Decide what “open” means for your location before entering times, and explain any distinction where customers make appointments.

If you operate more than one location, prepare a separate entry for each. Do not copy one branch’s hours to another without checking with the people who run it.

Update the places customers use next

Treat the Google edit as one item in an operational checklist. Review the other places a customer might consult or act on those hours. A correct listing does not help someone who then books an unavailable appointment.

• Website Contact page and any hours shown in the footer.
• Booking availability and appointment confirmation messages.
• Phone greeting and out-of-office reply, if they mention availability.
• Other business listings you actively maintain.
• Signs at the location for customers who arrive in person.

Check the customer view and close the loop

After making the edits, inspect the public listing and the website as a customer would. Note anything that is still waiting to appear, and check again rather than recording an unverified update as complete.

Set a reminder for the first normal working day after the exception. Remove temporary website notices, check booking availability, and make sure a short-term change has not accidentally become the permanent schedule. Keep the approved record so the next person updating hours knows what happened.