Calling hours checker

How this is calculated

Calling windows are defined in local time where the recipient is, not where you are dialling from. Beyond the window sit the duties that actually generate penalties: registry scrubbing, consent records, caller identification and honouring opt-outs.

Whose clock counts

Every window here is defined in local time where the person you are calling is, not where you are dialling from. A 9am call out of London lands at 4am in New York and is a violation, however reasonable the hour looked on your side. Any dialler working across time zones needs the recipient's local time as an input, not the caller's.

The headline numbers: the US federal window is 8am–9pm, with Florida and Oklahoma cutting off at 8pm and Florida banning Sunday solicitation outright. India runs 9am–9pm. The UK allows 8am–9pm on weekdays and Saturdays but only 9am–6pm on Sundays. Canada runs to 9:30pm on weekdays and 10am–6pm at weekends. Australia stops at 8pm on weekdays, 5pm on Saturdays, and permits no telemarketing on Sundays or public holidays.

The window is the easy part

Most enforcement is not about timing. It is about consent you cannot evidence, a number you should have scrubbed against a preference register, a caller identity you failed to give, or an opt-out you did not honour. Those duties apply at every hour of the day, and in India they extend to registering on the DLT platform and using the mandated numbering series before a single call goes out.

These rules apply to AI voice agents, generally more strictly rather than less: US rules covering artificial and prerecorded voice calls reach AI agents directly, and marketing calls made with them typically require prior express written consent rather than the lower standard applied to manually dialled calls.

This is a reference, not legal advice. Each entry links to its regulation and shows the date it was checked, and most were compiled from published summaries rather than read out of the primary instrument. Verify before you rely on it, and take advice for anything that matters.

Frequently asked questions

What are the legal calling hours in the US?

Federal TCPA rules prohibit telephone solicitations to residential subscribers before 8am or after 9pm in the called party's local time. Several states are stricter — Florida and Oklahoma both cut off at 8pm, and Florida additionally bans Sunday solicitation and limits calls to three per number per day.

Whose time zone counts?

The person you are calling. A 9am call from London to New York lands at 4am and is a violation, regardless of it being business hours where you sit. Any dialler working across time zones needs the recipient's local time, not yours.

What are the calling hours in India?

Commercial calls are restricted to 9am–9pm under TRAI's TCCCPR framework. The window is the smallest part of the obligation: you also need DLT registration, the mandated 140 or 1600 numbering series, digital consent, and dial-time scrubbing against the DND registry.

Do these rules apply to AI voice agents?

Yes, and often more strictly. US rules covering artificial and prerecorded voice calls apply directly to AI agents, and marketing calls using them generally require prior express written consent rather than the lower standard that applies to manually dialled calls.

Is being inside the window enough?

No. Most enforcement is about consent and do-not-call compliance rather than timing. Calling a registered number, failing to identify yourself, or being unable to produce a consent record will cost you regardless of the hour.

Is this legal advice?

No. This is a reference tool built from published summaries of the regulations, with each one linked and dated. Rules change, vary by state or province, and depend on facts a tool cannot know — the nature of the call, the relationship and the consent you hold. Take advice for anything that matters.

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