# Scheduling across time zones

> Plan recurring one-to-one classes in each rule's IANA time zone, show local calendars, and record outcomes for billing and payroll.

URL: https://halqora.com/features/scheduling
Last updated: 2026-10-21

Halqora stores recurring schedules in each rule's IANA time zone. Admins manage changes, and recorded class outcomes feed billing and payroll.

### Named time zones

Anchor each recurring rule to an IANA time zone so daylight saving changes follow that zone's local clock.

### Calendars in local time

Admins see the academy's time zone. Teachers see their own calendars in their own time zones.

### Outcomes connected to finances

Record completed classes, cancellations and no-shows against the schedule, then use those outcomes for billing and payroll.

Class scheduling software plans recurring lessons between teachers and students and records each session's outcome. Halqora stores scheduling rules in each IANA time zone, keeping lessons anchored to the agreed local clock through daylight saving changes, with outcomes feeding billing and payroll.

Halqora is our product. We've tried to keep this comparison fair: competitor details come from their public pages, linked and dated below. Tell us if anything is out of date at support@halqora.com.

## What is class scheduling software for online academies?

Class scheduling software connects the lesson agreement to the class that happens. A calendar needs to show who teaches, who attends, when the lesson starts and what happened afterward. A recurring appointment alone does not explain whether a missed class should be billed or reviewed.

> **Definition:** An IANA time zone is a named regional clock rule, such as Europe/London, that accounts for local offset changes rather than storing a permanent difference from UTC.

Halqora is management software for online academies. Halqora schedules, bills and pays one-to-one classes: one teacher and one student. Siblings can share a family invoice, but siblings have separate classes.

For [scheduling at online academies with families in several countries](https://halqora.com/solutions), the practical decision is whose local clock anchors the lesson. Agree on that clock before creating the recurring rule. A schedule cannot preserve everyone's local time when their countries change clocks on different dates.

## How it works

Halqora keeps the recurring agreement and individual session outcomes connected. Use the recurring rule for the normal pattern, then let an admin resolve exceptions against the affected class.

1. Create a recurring rule for the student and teacher. Choose the rule's IANA time zone, such as Europe/London, according to the agreed local class time.
2. Check the calendar views. Admins see the academy's time zone; each teacher sees their own calendar in their own time zone.
3. Add one-off classes when needed. Halqora distinguishes regular, trial and makeup classes without requiring you to replace the recurring agreement.
4. Choose the call location for each schedule. Use the Halqora classroom or a Google Meet link.
5. Have an admin handle cancellations and moves. Teachers record completed classes with reports, student no-shows and student cancellations; admins resolve everything else.
6. Record the final outcome and relevant details. A student cancellation needs the actual cancellation time, rather than the time someone later entered the record.
7. Review the financial result. Fixed outcome rules connect the recorded class to billing and teacher pay; billing runs create draft invoices for an admin to review and send.

Families use a permanent private class link that shows their next class without a login. The class link does not expire. You can replace or revoke the link, and replacing the link stops the old link working.

## Why fixed-offset schedules break twice a year

Fixed offsets describe a difference from UTC, not a local clock's future rules. London changes between winter time and British Summer Time. Pakistan does not observe daylight saving, according to the [IANA time-zone data for Asia](https://data.iana.org/time-zones/tzdb/asia), checked as of 21 October 2026.

A rule anchored in Asia/Karachi therefore stays fixed in Karachi while its London time changes. A rule anchored in Europe/London stays fixed in London while its Karachi time changes. Named zones express which agreement you intend to preserve.

As of 21 October 2026, the UK government's clock-change dates put the autumn change on 25 October 2026. New York changes on 1 November 2026 under the supplied time-zone rules, leaving a transition week when London and New York are closer together on the clock.

Government decisions matter too. According to [British Columbia's daylight-saving announcement](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/celebrating-british-columbia/daylight-saving-time), checked as of 21 October 2026, the province's March clock change was its final change; British Columbia will not fall back in November. Toronto's schedule should not be used as a substitute for a family's actual Canadian zone.

Use [how to schedule online classes across time zones](https://halqora.com/blog/schedule-online-classes-across-time-zones) to agree on an anchor, then review the [DST dates for online classes 2026–2027](https://halqora.com/blog/daylight-saving-time-online-classes-2026-2027) before transition periods.

## How one 5pm Karachi class moves for UK and US families in 2026

| Date range (2026) | Karachi time (24-hour) | London time (24-hour) | New York time (24-hour) | Toronto time (24-hour) |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| January–7 March | 17:00 | 12:00 | 07:00 | 07:00 |
| 8–28 March | 17:00 | 12:00 | 08:00 | 08:00 |
| 29 March–24 October | 17:00 | 13:00 | 08:00 | 08:00 |
| 25–31 October | 17:00 | 12:00 | 08:00 | 08:00 |
| From 1 November | 17:00 | 12:00 | 07:00 | 07:00 |

Example: calculated from the supplied 2026 offsets and transition dates, a Karachi class at 17:00 equals 12:00 UTC. London adds an hour during British Summer Time; New York and Toronto subtract their applicable winter or summer offset. All listed times fall on the same date.

The calculation keeps Karachi fixed. London moves from 13:00 to 12:00 when UK clocks go back, rather than moving later. British Columbia does not follow Toronto's autumn change, so use the family's named zone rather than a country-wide assumption.

## Makeups, change requests and outcomes on one calendar

Makeup classes are additional sessions booked to replace missed teaching. An admin can book a makeup while resolving a missed class. Keep the missed class's outcome accurate instead of marking the original lesson completed because a replacement is planned.

Halqora records scheduled, pending, completed, cancelled, missed_by_teacher, missed_by_student and rescheduled statuses. Scheduled and pending classes still need resolution. A calendar entry is not proof that teaching happened, and joining a classroom does not automatically establish an outcome.

Student billing follows fixed outcome rules, such as no charge for a cancellation with at least 3 hours' notice and a full charge for a later cancellation. Student no-shows are billed in full unless an admin records an emergency exception. Families are not charged for teacher cancellations or teacher no-shows.

Admins record teacher late minutes, wait minutes and emergency exceptions. A student no-show pays the teacher in full only after the teacher waits at least half the class. Completed classes need the teacher's internal report before payroll for the period can proceed. Families do not see those reports.

Keep [makeup classes from creating calendar chaos](https://halqora.com/blog/makeup-classes-without-calendar-chaos) by resolving the original outcome and booking the replacement explicitly. The connection between those records matters when reviewing [outcomes that feed teacher payroll](https://halqora.com/features/payroll).

## What it doesn't do (yet)

> **What it doesn't do (yet):** Halqora does not sync with Google Calendar or send class reminders by any channel (email, WhatsApp or SMS); class reminders are not yet built. Halqora sends WhatsApp alerts to admins when a teacher or student joins or has not joined shortly after the start, but it does not mark attendance or work out lateness minutes for you; an admin enters late minutes with the outcome. Halqora has no mobile apps or public API. Cancellation and payroll thresholds are fixed rather than configurable per academy. Teachers have no cancel or reschedule request screen, and group classes are not supported.

A Google Meet link selects where the call happens; the link does not create calendar synchronization. Families need the agreed schedule and their private class link. Admins should communicate schedule changes directly because an upcoming class does not trigger a reminder.

## Alternatives and how others handle this

As of 21 October 2026, Teachworks' User Time Zones page describes a free add-on for scheduling and viewing lessons in users' local zones. Teachworks' integrations page also describes two-way Google Calendar sync. Teachworks deserves consideration if external calendar synchronization is essential, or if you already use Teachworks and need local-time views through its free add-on.

As of the same date, TutorBird's attendance guidance describes attendance choices that distinguish notice, billing and makeup credit. TutorBird may suit an academy that wants those distinctions expressed through detailed attendance labels.

According to TutorCruncher's cancellation guidance, checked as of 21 October 2026, a late-cancellation notice setting makes late cancellations chargeable. Consider TutorCruncher if that setting fits your cancellation policy. Halqora instead uses fixed outcome rules alongside scheduling rules in each IANA time zone.

## Sources

- [IANA time-zone data for Asia](https://data.iana.org/time-zones/tzdb/asia), checked 21 October 2026
- UK clock-change dates, checked 21 October 2026
- [British Columbia daylight-saving announcement](https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/celebrating-british-columbia/daylight-saving-time), checked 21 October 2026
- Teachworks User Time Zones, checked 21 October 2026
- Teachworks integrations, checked 21 October 2026
- TutorBird attendance guidance, checked 21 October 2026
- TutorCruncher cancelling lessons, checked 21 October 2026

## Questions

### What's the best way to handle scheduling across multiple time zones?

Store each recurring class with a named IANA time zone rather than a fixed UTC offset. Decide whose local clock anchors the agreement, then check the corresponding time for everyone else. Halqora stores each recurring rule in its IANA zone, displays the academy zone for admins, and displays each teacher's own zone on the teacher calendar.

### What if students observe daylight saving and teachers don't?

A class anchored to the teacher's local clock can move on the student's clock when daylight saving changes. A Karachi teacher's 17:00 class is 12:00 in London in winter and 13:00 during British Summer Time. Choose the anchor zone with the family before creating the rule, and explain any local-time shift before the affected class.

### Can teachers cancel or move classes themselves?

Teachers do not have a cancel or reschedule request screen in Halqora today. Teachers can record a completed class with a report, a student no-show, or a student cancellation. Admins handle schedule changes and resolve other outcomes. For student cancellations, record when the student actually cancelled because the fixed billing rule uses that time to measure notice.

### Does Halqora sync with Google Calendar?

Halqora does not sync with Google Calendar today. Halqora provides admin and teacher calendars, while each schedule can use a Google Meet link for the call instead of the built-in classroom. According to Teachworks' integrations page, Teachworks offers two-way Google Calendar sync, making Teachworks worth considering when that connection is essential to your workflow.