Your default time zone controls how Practice Better shows your calendar, availability, and Bookings page. This article explains how to set it, book sessions in another time zone, view your calendar in a different time zone, and fix reminders that arrive in the wrong time zone.
In this article:
- Before You Begin
- Setting Your Default Time Zone
- Booking a Session in Another Time Zone
- Updating the Time Zone on an Existing Booking
- Viewing Session Dates in Your Portal
- Viewing Your Calendar in Another Time Zone
- Understanding Time Zones on Your Bookings Page
- Fixing Session Reminders Sent in the Wrong Time Zone
- Syncing Sessions with Google Calendar
Before You Begin
- Changing your default time zone does not change the time zone already set on your existing bookings. Each booking keeps its own time zone. If you move to a new time zone, review your upcoming bookings and update each one that needs it.
- Your availability uses your default time zone from My Practice > My Profile.
- Your clients see available times in their own time zone on your Bookings page.
Setting Your Default Time Zone
Your default time zone is the time zone Practice Better uses for your calendar, your availability, and the emails you receive with dates and times, such as session confirmations and reminders. It is also the time zone shown as your local time on your public Bookings page.
- Go to My Practice > My Profile.
- Find the Time zone field and select your time zone.
- Click Save Changes near the top-right.
📍 Note: Changing your default time zone does not change the time zone already set on existing bookings. To change a booking, see Updating the Time Zone on an Existing Booking.
Booking a Session in Another Time Zone
When you book a new session, the Time zone field lets you set the time zone of the appointment. It defaults to the time zone in your profile.
- Start booking a new session. Learn more about Booking Client Sessions from the Practitioner Portal →
- Find the Time zone field in the session details and select the time zone for the appointment.
- Finish booking the session.
If your profile time zone is different from the time zone of your current location, for example when you travel or when an assistant books sessions for you from another location, an alert appears at the bottom of the screen.
Updating the Time Zone on an Existing Booking
Each booking has its own time zone setting. Update the time zone on any booking that no longer matches the time zone you need, for example after you change your default time zone.
- Go to My Schedule > My Bookings.
- Click Reschedule on any upcoming booking.
- Select the correct time zone in the Time zone field.
- Save your changes.
Viewing Session Dates in Your Portal
Practice Better displays session dates in the time zone of your current location. If you booked a session while traveling outside your primary location, the converted time appears beside the session date.
Viewing Your Calendar in Another Time Zone
You can view your calendar in another time zone, for example when you are out of the country. By default, your calendar shows events in the time zone from your profile.
- Go to My Schedule > My Calendar.
- In the left navigation panel, find the Time Zone field and select a time zone.
This changes how your calendar displays. It does not change the time zone set on your bookings or on your client reminders.
When you change the calendar view, you’ll be prompted if you want to change your default time zone. Click No thanks to dismiss the pop-up, or click Update to set your new default time zone.
Understanding Time Zones on Your Bookings Page
By default, all times on your Bookings page use the local time of your client. Your client sees time slots in their own time zone. If their time zone is different from yours, they also see a reference to your local time zone below the time slots.
Your client can select the secondary time zone to open a time zone pop-up and choose a different time zone to view.
When setting up your availability, this uses the default time zone from your profile. On public bookings pages, clients see the same availability blocks, displayed in their own time zone.
Fixing Session Reminders Sent in the Wrong Time Zone
Your client can receive session reminders in the wrong time zone if they originally requested a session or activated their Client Portal account while traveling.
If the client hasn’t activated their client portal yet, their practitioner can set their time zone from their client record.
Updating the Time Zone for a Client Who Has Not Activated Their Account
- Open the client's record.
- Go to the Contact Information section of their Basic Information.
- Select the correct time zone.
- Save your changes.
Updating the Time Zone for a Client Who Has Client Portal Access
For any clients who have activated their portal, they can set their time zone themselves. A practitioner can’t update the time zone for a client who has activated their portal.
- In the Client Portal, open the Profile Menu and click Edit Profile.
- Select the correct time zone from the time zone drop-down menu.
- Click Save Changes near the top-right.
📍 Note: Changing your own time zone does not change your client's time zone.
Syncing Sessions with Google Calendar
Sessions sync to your Google Calendar with the time set on the Practice Better booking. If the time shown in Google Calendar looks different, check the time zone set on the booking first, then check your time zone settings within Google Calendar.
Time zone rules and settings in Google Calendar are managed by Google and are outside of Practice Better's control.