International Meeting Time Planner
Score any proposed meeting time based on how well it falls within business hours for your organiser and two participants across different time zones. Use it to find a window that works for everyone without spreadsheet guesswork.
About this calculator
The calculator assigns a suitability score from 0 to 100 to a proposed meeting time by measuring how far each participant's local equivalent time falls from the 9-to-17 business-hours window. The formula is: Score = max(0, 100 − (( |localTime₁ − 9| + |localTime₂ − 17| ) / 2) × businessHoursWeight), where localTime = (proposedHour + participantTimezone − organiserTimezone) % 24. A score of 100 means the proposed time is ideal for everyone; scores near 0 indicate an unworkable overlap. The businessHoursWeight parameter lets you increase or decrease how harshly off-hours slots are penalised. Negative UTC offsets (e.g. UTC−5) are entered as −5; positive offsets (e.g. UTC+9) as 9.
How to use
Suppose the organiser is in London (UTC+0), Participant 1 is in New York (UTC−5), and Participant 2 is in Tokyo (UTC+9). You propose 10:00 AM London time. Enter proposedHour = 10, organiserTimezone = 0, participant1Timezone = −5, participant2Timezone = 9, businessHoursWeight = 10. Participant 1 local time = (10 + (−5) − 0) % 24 = 5. Participant 2 local time = (10 + 9 − 0) % 24 = 19. Score = max(0, 100 − ((|5−9| + |19−17|) / 2) × 10) = max(0, 100 − (3) × 10) = 70. A score of 70 suggests the time is acceptable but not ideal.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find the best meeting time for a team spread across three time zones?
Use this calculator to test several candidate hours and compare their scores. Input each proposed time and observe how the score changes — a higher score means the proposed slot is closer to normal business hours for all participants. As a rule of thumb, try slots between 14:00–17:00 UTC for Europe–Americas overlaps and 08:00–10:00 UTC for Europe–Asia overlaps. The businessHoursWeight slider lets you weight urgency: a higher value penalises off-hours slots more steeply, which is useful when participant well-being is a priority.
What does the meeting suitability score actually measure?
The score quantifies how comfortably a proposed meeting time sits within a 9-to-17 working-hours window for both remote participants. A score of 100 is perfect — every participant is within business hours. As local times drift toward early morning or late evening, the score decreases proportionally. A score below 40 generally signals that at least one participant would need to join outside reasonable working hours. It is a heuristic index, not a guarantee, and works best as a comparative tool when evaluating multiple candidate slots.
Why is the businessHoursWeight parameter important when scheduling global meetings?
The businessHoursWeight multiplier controls how aggressively off-hours deviations reduce the suitability score. A weight of 1 barely penalises early or late slots; a weight of 20 sharply distinguishes good and bad windows. If your team values strict work-life balance — for example, in regions with strong labour norms around working hours — set a higher weight to surface only genuinely reasonable slots. For time-sensitive or executive-level calls where flexibility is acceptable, a lower weight gives a broader range of viable options.