--- title: "How to set up a holiday closure" description: "Add Christmas, public holidays or any closure to your phone system so calls switch to your holiday greeting automatically." url: "https://dev.www.lightningip.com.au/help/hosted-voice/set-up-holiday-closure" canonical: "https://dev.www.lightningip.com.au/help/hosted-voice/set-up-holiday-closure" updated: "2026-10-15" --- # How to set up a holiday closure Add Christmas, public holidays or any closure to your phone system so calls switch to your holiday greeting automatically. Add a holiday in your Hosted Voice portal and your phones switch to closed mode for those dates automatically, then switch back when you reopen. It takes about five minutes, and you can set it up weeks in advance. During a holiday, callers hear your holiday greeting and then go to the destination your system uses for holidays, usually voicemail or an after-hours message. Your normal business hours stay as they are. ## Before you start This guide is for phone systems that already have business hours set up. Check these three things first, or your holiday may not take effect. - **Your business hours are set up.** Go to **Call Control > Business Hours and Holidays** and open the **Business Hours** tab. Your opening hours should be listed there. If the list is empty, contact us before going further. To change them, see [How to change your business hours](/help/hosted-voice/change-business-hours). - **Your phones aren't stuck in a manual mode.** Many systems have buttons on the phones, or dial codes such as `*99` or `*8xxx`, that force the system into a set mode such as open or closed. While a forced mode is on, the system ignores your business hours and your holidays. Before the closure starts, make sure the system is back to following its schedule. - **You have a simple, single-site setup.** If you have several phone numbers going to different places, more than one site, sites in different states or time zones, or locations with different trading hours, holidays need setting up for each one. Contact us and we'll set it up with you. **For administrators:** under **Call Control > Inbound Route**, the route for your main number should have **Time-based Routing Mode** set to *Based on Business Hours Configured for the Time Zone*, a **Holidays Destination** chosen, and **Play Holiday Prompt During Holidays** ticked. If **Ignore the Holiday Destination** is ticked, callers won't be sent to the holiday destination. ![Inbound route settings showing Time-based Routing Mode, Holidays Destination and Play Holiday Prompt During Holidays](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/9b563daf-9361-4455-9717-5139ec201c8b) ## Set up the holiday ### 1. Open the Holidays tab In the portal, go to **Call Control > Business Hours and Holidays**, open the **Holidays** tab, then click **Add**. ![The Holidays tab with the Add button highlighted](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/f4a521f2-3b75-4223-ae7a-5d0bf2974b22) ### 2. Name the holiday and choose a type Enter a name you'll recognise, such as *Christmas Closure 2026*. Callers won't see it. For a one-off closure, set **Holiday Type** to **By Date**. Use **By Month** for a date that repeats every year, such as 25 December. ![Name field filled in and the Holiday Type list open](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/fe950a05-9bb5-4a6b-9057-d635036af2a4) ### 3. Pick your closure dates Click the **Date** field, choose the first day you're closed, then the last day, and click **Ok**. The closure runs from 12:00 AM on the first day to 11:59 PM on the last. To close part-way through a day, click **select time** before **Ok**. ![Calendar with 24 December 2026 to 3 January 2027 selected](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/c164926e-6a8e-416d-9acf-e0f66a458068) ### 4. Add your holiday greeting Next to **Prompt**, click **Add** and choose **Record New** or **Upload**. If you already have a greeting uploaded, pick it from the **Prompt** list instead. ![The Prompt Add menu showing Record New and Upload](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/219d440e-b2c8-42fc-b13b-e6c3ad7b4ae4) - **Record New:** type a name for the greeting, choose your extension and click **Record**. Your phone will ring. Answer it and record your message. The name can't contain spaces or symbols, so use underscores, for example `Christmas_Closure_2026`. ![Record New Prompt dialog with a name and extension filled in](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/87670ef7-b0cd-4083-997a-6aa15bde29d8) - **Upload:** click **Browse**, choose an audio file, then click **Upload**. Use a .wav, .mp3 or .gsm file under 8 MB. A .wav recorded at 8 kHz, 16-bit works best. ![Upload Custom Prompt dialog with a file chosen](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/f461e023-79a2-4f0c-af80-359c2cc1f747) ### 5. Check the form and save The **Prompt** field should now show your greeting. Click **Save**. ![Completed holiday form with the greeting selected](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/a2a07bf5-85df-4404-a8f0-d9ebca4a00fa) ### 6. Click Apply An orange **Apply** button appears at the top of the page after you save. Click it to put your holiday live. ![The new holiday in the list and the Apply button highlighted](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/dd4d0f66-89ba-4cee-99db-9638f59d64f2) Nothing changes until you click **Apply**. If the orange button is still showing at the top of the page, your holiday isn't live yet. ## Check it's working Once you've clicked **Apply**, your holiday appears in the **Holidays** list and the **Apply** button disappears. ![Holidays list showing Christmas Closure 2026 after Apply](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/c1e21a31-cbf2-40c8-a495-2f762e7a4488) - **On the day:** once your closure has started, call your main number from a mobile. You should hear your holiday greeting. - **Before you leave:** if anyone has used a phone button or dial code to force the system open or closed, set it back so the system is following its schedule again. - **Afterwards:** a By Date holiday only applies to the dates you chose, so it can stay in the list. Delete it or edit the dates when you're ready to set up next year's closure. ## Troubleshooting - **Calls still ring the phones during the closure.** The system has probably been forced into a set mode with a phone button or a `*99` / `*8xxx` dial code. Set it back so the system follows its schedule. - **The holiday never took effect.** **Apply** wasn't clicked after saving. Open **Business Hours and Holidays** and click the orange **Apply** button. - **Callers don't hear the greeting.** No greeting was chosen in **Prompt**, or the inbound route doesn't play holiday prompts. Edit the holiday and choose a greeting, or ask us to check your inbound route. - **"Space and ! @ # … are invalid" when naming a recording.** Greeting names can't contain spaces or symbols. Use underscores instead. - **You have several numbers, sites, states or time zones.** Each needs its own holiday settings. Contact us and we'll set it up with you. ![Error shown when a greeting name contains spaces](https://cms.lightningip.com.au/assets/34c21dcb-e38d-4b7b-9b5d-41b35bb2a133) Still stuck? Contact us with the dates you'll be closed and what callers should hear, and we'll set it up for you. To learn how business hours, holidays and after-hours routing work together, see [Business hours, holidays and after-hours call handling](/help/hosted-voice/business-hours-holidays).