Working Remotely from a Different Timezone

Overview

When a practitioner works remotely from a different timezone (for example, traveling interstate or overseas), it’s important to manage availability correctly to avoid booking errors.

Zanda uses a single, account-wide timezone, so a simple, reliable approach ensures your calendar, availability, and reminders continue working as expected.

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How Zanda handles timezones

Zanda operates on a single business timezone for the entire account.

Path:
User Menu → Account Settings → Practice → Business Info → Time Zone

This timezone is used for:

• Appointments
• Availability
• Reminders
• Reports

This timezone follows daylight saving for its region automatically — see the “What about daylight saving changes?” FAQ below for what that means for your day-to-day calendar.

You can also set an Additional Time Zone in your user profile.
This displays a second clock on your calendar—but does not change how bookings are stored.

Working remotely across multiple states

If you work fully remotely and are licensed to see clients in more than one state, you can set up a separate location for each state you’re licensed in.

Set up a virtual location for your remote practice

Steps:

1. Go to User Menu > Account Settings > Practice > Locations
2. Create a new location, or edit an existing one
3. Set the Location Type to Telehealth Video Call
4. Leave the address fields blank if you like; only a location name is required for a virtual location
5. Click Save

Use this one location for appointments with clients in any state you’re licensed in; you don’t need to create one location per state.

Note

A note on time zones: Zanda uses a single Time Zone setting for your whole practice (User Menu > Account Settings > Practice > Business Info > Time Zone). This is different from the Locale setting nearby, which only controls date, number, and language formatting; it has no effect on appointment times. Changing Locale will not fix a timezone issue.

You don’t need to change either setting to see clients in other states. Your Client Portal automatically shows each client their own local time, based on their own device, regardless of your practice’s Time Zone setting, so clients booking from a different time zone to your practice always see accurate appointment times.

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What not to do

Changing the account timezone affects the entire system:

• Existing appointments shift times
• Team members see incorrect schedules
• Reminders may send at the wrong time
• Availability blocks may open unintended slots

Even if you’re the only practitioner, your existing bookings can still be disrupted.

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Step 1: Show your travel timezone on the calendar

Add your travel timezone so you can easily read both timezones side by side.

Steps:

1. Go to User Menu → User Profile
2. Find Additional Time Zone
3. Enable the toggle
4. Select your travel timezone
5. Click Save

Your calendar will now display:

• Travel timezone (left)
• Business timezone (next to it)

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Step 2: Adjust your availability

Availability is always stored in the business timezone, so you’ll need to convert your working hours.

How to calculate your hours

1. Decide your working hours in your travel timezone
2. Convert them into the business timezone
3. Enter those converted hours into an Availability Override

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Add an Availability Override

Steps:

1. Go to User Menu → Account Settings → Team → Availability
2. Select your practitioner profile
3. Click Add New Availability Override
4. Set your regular work hours in local time zone - Unavailable
5. Click Add New Availability Override again
   • Availability: Available
   • Date range (travel period)
   • Hours (in business timezone)
6. Add a description (e.g., Working from London — adjusted hours)
7. Click Save

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Worked example

Setup:

• Business timezone: AEST (UTC+10)
• Travel timezone: London (BST, UTC+1)
• Desired hours: 9am–5pm London

Converted:

• 9am BST → 6pm AEST
• 5pm BST → 2am AEST (next day)

What to do:

• Set Additional Time Zone to London
• Create Availability Override:
  • 6:00pm (day one)–2:00am (next day)

This ensures:

• Your availability matches your real working hours
• Clients book correctly in their timezone

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What your clients will see

• Appointment reminders send in the client’s timezone (if set)
• Client Portal shows availability in the client’s local time
• No visible indication of your travel location

The booking experience remains consistent and seamless.

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When you return

To restore your normal setup:

1. Remove or let your Availability Override expire
2. Disable or reset your Additional Time Zone
3. Review upcoming appointments for confirmation

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Frequently asked questions

Can I change the account timezone temporarily?

No. This can cause:

• Shifted appointments
• Incorrect reminders
• Team confusion

Use Availability Overrides and Additional Time Zone instead.

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What about daylight saving changes?

Your account’s business timezone adjusts for daylight saving automatically. Appointments, availability, and reminders all keep displaying at the same local time before and after the change, so there’s nothing you need to do for your day-to-day calendar.

Daylight saving only affects you if you’re comparing two different timezones, for example if you use an Additional Time Zone while traveling somewhere that observes daylight saving differently to your business timezone:

• The time difference between the two zones may shift by one hour
• Review and adjust your availability if needed for the period around the change

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I’m the only practitioner—does this still apply?

Yes. Your bookings and reminders still rely on the account timezone, so the same approach is recommended.

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Will online bookings still work?

Yes. As long as your Availability Override is set correctly:

• Clients will see accurate availability
• Booking times will align with your working hours

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