Holiday management in Zoho CRM depends on which Zoho product you're using, since holiday configuration lives in different places across the ecosystem. If you're managing holidays for scheduling and time-off purposes, you'll configure them in Zoho Shifts or Zoho People rather than directly in CRM itself.
Why this matters
Accurate holiday data prevents scheduling conflicts, ensures payroll calculations are correct, and helps teams plan work around non-working days. If your organization spans multiple regions or has location-based schedules, keeping holidays current is essential to avoid assigning tasks when staff aren't available or miscalculating working hours.
Step-by-step
Step 1. Determine which Zoho product manages your holidays.
Zoho CRM itself does not have a built-in holiday configuration interface. Holiday management typically happens in Zoho Shifts (for shift-based scheduling) or Zoho People (for HR and leave management). If you're using Zoho Shifts for team scheduling, proceed to Step 2. If you're using Zoho People for HR operations, you'll configure holidays there instead. If you need holidays visible in Zoho Calendar for reference, you can subscribe to regional holiday calendars separately. [3][8]
Step 2. Add public holidays in Zoho Shifts (if using shift scheduling).
Log in to your Zoho account and navigate to Settings > Public Holidays. Click +Add Public Holiday. Enter a description for the holiday (for example, "Christmas Day" or "Australia Day"). Choose the Start and End Dates for the holiday period. Click Save. Once added, these holidays will appear in the schedule editor when you create or edit schedules, helping you and your managers avoid assigning shifts on those days. [3]
Step 3. Edit or remove holidays as needed.
To modify an existing holiday, return to Settings > Public Holidays, locate the record, and click the edit option beside it. To delete a holiday, click the delete option. This keeps your holiday calendar current if dates change or if you need to remove an entry. [3]
Step 4. For regional or location-based holidays, configure them in Zoho People.
If your organization has multiple office locations or shift patterns, Zoho People allows you to set holidays by location or shift. This ensures each employee sees only the holidays relevant to their work location and schedule. Access the holiday settings through Leave > Holidays in Zoho People and select the appropriate location or shift context. [7]
Step 5. Subscribe to regional holiday calendars in Zoho Calendar (optional).
If you want holidays visible in your personal or team calendar, log in to Zoho Calendar and go to Settings > Calendar > Subscribe. Navigate to Holidays and click List available countries' holiday calendars. Choose your region and click Subscribe. The holiday calendar will sync with your Zoho Calendar, giving you a reference view of observed holidays. [8]
Step 6. For CRM-specific holiday logic, consider a marketplace app.
If you need holidays integrated directly into CRM workflows (for example, to exclude holidays when calculating delivery dates or timesheet working days), explore Zoho Marketplace for region-specific holiday apps. The Australian Public Holidays extension, for instance, automatically updates a public holidays module in Zoho CRM so you can query holiday dates in custom workflows and automations. [2]
Common pitfalls
Forgetting to update holidays annually is the most common issue. Set a calendar reminder to review and add new holidays each year before the fiscal or calendar year begins. If you have multiple locations, ensure you're configuring holidays at the correct level—location-based holidays in Zoho People won't sync to Zoho Shifts unless you've linked them. Also, if you subscribe to a regional holiday calendar in Zoho Calendar, those dates appear for reference only and don't automatically block scheduling in Zoho Shifts; you still need to manually add them to Shifts if you want them to affect shift creation.
What to check
- Verify that holidays appear in your schedule editor or leave management interface after saving.
- Confirm that the start and end dates are correct and match your organization's observed holiday period.
- If using multiple locations or shifts, check that each team member sees only the holidays applicable to their work context.
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Note: This article reflects independent expert support from Beam Help and is not official Zoho documentation. For product-specific guidance, consult Zoho's official help portal or support team.