Set Holiday Hours on Google for Your Small Business

If your shop opens later or closes for a holiday, update the date on your Google Business Profile instead of changing the normal weekly schedule. Google calls these temporary exceptions special hours. Accurate hours help customers plan, but do not guarantee more calls or a higher search position.

When should you use special hours?

Use special hours for a short change such as a holiday, event or a closure lasting up to six consecutive days. Google recommends confirming holiday hours even when they match your usual schedule. For a closure of seven or more days, or an unknown length, its guidance says to use the temporarily closed status instead.

How do you add a holiday date?

Open the Business Profile you manage. Choose Edit profile, then Hours. In Business hours, edit Special hours, select the relevant date or add a date, and enter the actual opening and closing times. If you will be closed all day, mark the date closed. Save, then check that you selected the intended business and date.

Step by step: setting special hours

These steps follow Google's current "How to set Special hours" help page (as of Oct 2026). Labels can sit in slightly different places on a phone and on a computer.

Open your Business Profile with the account that manages it.
Select Edit profile, then Hours.
In the "Business hours" section, next to "Special hours", select Edit.
Choose the date: select Review to confirm a date Google suggests, or Add a date to enter your own. To change a date you already set, select it.
If you are open that day, uncheck the "Closed" box and enter the opening and closing times. If you are closed all day, make sure "Closed" is checked.
For a second time slot on the same day, select More, then Add hours.
Select Save.

Google says saved special hours appear in the "Hours" tab of your business information, and under "Special hours" in Edit profile.

Removing special hours you added by mistake

If the date was marked closed, select Delete next to the date. If it had opening hours, select More next to the hours, then Remove day. Then select Save.

Special hours, More hours or Temporarily closed?

Situation	What Google suggests
Holiday, event or other short change, up to 6 days in a row	Special hours
Open on a holiday with your usual timing	Special hours, to confirm the date is accurate
Closed for 7 or more days in a row, or for an unknown period	Temporarily closed
A service with its own timing every week, such as delivery or takeout	More hours
Your normal weekly timing has changed for good	Update your regular hours

What if the business opens twice in one day?

Google lets you add more than one set of hours for the same date. Use that when you genuinely close and reopen, rather than showing one continuous period. Check morning and evening carefully. If the hours cross midnight, follow Google's date-splitting guidance; do not put the entire period against the wrong date.

Hours that cross midnight

Google says one set of special hours cannot be longer than 24 hours. If you stay open past midnight, split the time: one set that runs until the end of the first day, and one set that starts at midnight on the next day. For example, open from 7:00 PM on one date until 2:00 AM: enter 7:00 PM to midnight on the first date, and midnight to 2:00 AM on the next date. Google notes that special hours on that second date replace its regular hours, so add that day's normal opening time again as a separate set if you will open as usual.

What should you check after saving?

Reopen the saved information and check the visible hours. Google says the profile must be set to Open with main hours for special hours to show. Compare the website, shop sign and any customer message so they do not contradict each other. Do not claim that a profile edit is guaranteed to appear instantly everywhere.

How can a small business keep this manageable?

Keep one short calendar of known closures and nominate the person who will update it. Before a busy holiday, confirm the owner's real decision rather than copying a public-holiday list. If you need help with your website and online presence, Pooja Digitech services are linked below. This guide does not change anyone's account for them.

A festival-season checklist

List the dates the owner has actually decided: closed, half day, late opening or extra hours.
Update Google special hours a few days before each date, not on the morning itself.
Check AM and PM, and whether a break in the afternoon needs two time slots.
Change the shop board, website and any WhatsApp message or status you share to match.
After the festival, check that special hours did not accidentally get added to the wrong date.

A short note for customers on WhatsApp or the shop board helps, but the Google date itself should be correct. For more on keeping your profile current, see Google Business Photos: A Small Shop Checklist.

Frequently asked questions

Should I replace the normal weekly hours for one holiday?

Use special hours for a brief exception so your normal week stays intact.

Do special hours guarantee better rankings?

No. This guide is about accurate customer information, not a ranking promise.

My shop will close for 10 days for renovation. Should I use special hours?

No. Google's guidance is to mark the business as temporarily closed for 7 or more days in a row or for an unknown period.

We are open as normal on a public holiday. Do I need to do anything?

Google recommends confirming holiday hours even when they match your regular hours, so customers know the timing is accurate.

Why are my special hours not showing?

Google says the business hours must be set to "Open with main hours" for special hours to appear. Also check that you saved the correct date and business.

Related guides

Hinglish me padhein

Pooja Digitech services

Sources and checks

support.google.com source

Original editorial guide. Follow the linked source for current practical details.

Sources checked: 26 October 2026. Publication-day changes must be checked before use.

Expanded and re-checked against the linked Google help page: 30 October 2026.