How to Reply When Someone Asks for Your Availability (Templates)

What a good availability reply needs

Every solid reply has the same five parts. Skip any and you usually get silence or another round of email.

1. Same thread. Reply under their ask — email, Slack, Teams, or LinkedIn.
2. Duration when useful. If they did not say how long, assume 30 minutes or ask once while still offering times.
3. Timezone once. Header line (all times EST) or dual-zone lines for remote threads.
4. Two to five concrete windows. Prefer ranges. Format as Day (Date): time range, one day per line.
5. A clear ask plus an escape hatch. “Reply with a preference and I will send an invite. If none work, send two windows that do.”

That structure books the meeting; a vague paragraph restarts scheduling. Formatting: how to list availability in an email.

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Reply templates (copy and send)

Use plain text. Keep each day on its own line so the list survives mobile clients. Soft line breaks inside a paragraph look fine in your draft and break on phones.

Email — they asked “when are you free?”

Subject: Re: [Original subject]

Hi [Name],

Happy to find [duration] for [topic].

A few options on my side (all times [timezone]):
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]

Reply with a preference and I will send a calendar invite. If none of these work, send two windows that do and I will make one fit.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Filled-in example:

Subject: Re: Quick sync next week?

Hi Priya,

Happy to find 30 minutes for the launch sync.

A few options on my side (all times EST):
Tue (3/17): 10am–12pm or 2–3pm
Wed (3/18): 9–11am
Thu (3/19): 1–4pm

Reply with a preference and I will send a calendar invite. If none of these work, send two windows that do and I will make one fit.

Thanks,
Alex

Email — they asked you to “send your availability”

Subject: Re: [Original subject]

Hi [Name],

Here is my availability for [duration] on [topic] (all times [timezone]):
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]

Happy to adjust if none of these work. Once you pick a slot, I will send (or accept) the calendar invite.

Best,
[Your name]

Filled-in example:

Subject: Re: Availability for intro call

Hi Jordan,

Here is my availability for 30 minutes on the intro call (all times PST):
Mon (3/23): 9–11am or 1–3pm
Tue (3/24): 10am–12pm
Wed (3/25): 2–5pm
Thu (3/26): 9–11am

Happy to adjust if none of these work. Once you pick a slot, I will send (or accept) the calendar invite.

Best,
Sam

Slack, Teams, or text (short)

Sure — free windows ([timezone]):
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
Pick one and I’ll send the invite. If none work, send two that do.

Paste where the conversation already lives. Channel notes: Slack and Microsoft Teams.

You are tight this week (honest, still useful)

Subject: Re: [Original subject]

Hi [Name],

This week is tight on my side. Soonest real windows for [duration] (all times [timezone]):
[Day (Date)]: [time range]
[Day (Date)]: [time range]

If those are too soon or too late, tell me a better week and I will send a fresh list.

Thanks,
[Your name]

Honesty beats optimistic slots you will cancel. For recruiter or panel threads, offer four to six windows across about two weeks — more patterns in how to send availability to a recruiter.

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How many times to offer (and how to format them)

Prefer ranges (10am–12pm) over single points (10:00am). One day per line. Include the date, not just the weekday. Always name the timezone.

Avoid:

• Paragraph form (“I’m free Tuesday after 2 or Wednesday morning…”) — hard to scan on mobile.
• Screenshots of your week — ugly in email, often unreadable, and can leak event titles.
• “I’m free anytime” — rarely true, and it pushes all the work back onto them.

Full formatting rules: how to list availability in an email. Broader send patterns: how to send availability in email.

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Reply vs propose vs ask vs decline

Use the right move so the other person knows what you need from them next.

The failure mode for replies is answering an availability ask with another open question (“When works for you?”). They already asked you to go first. If none of your windows will work and you know their calendar is tighter, say so once and ask for two of theirs — after you have still offered a shortlist.

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Pull free times from your real calendar

Offering a slot you are not free for wastes a round and looks careless. Before you reply:

1. Check Google Calendar, Outlook / Microsoft 365, or Apple Calendar for the window they care about.
2. Prefer ranges that survive a small conflict over fragile single points.
3. Copy the list as plain text — not a screenshot, and not a booking page unless that is already how you schedule together.

ShareAvailability reads those calendars with read-only access and copies a plain-text list of free times to your clipboard. There is no share link and no booking page — you paste into the email or chat you are already in, they reply with a pick, and you send the calendar invite. The other person does not need an account. Broader context: share availability without a booking link.

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After they pick (and cross-timezone notes)

Reply in the same thread within a few business hours. Restate the day, date, time, timezone, and duration in one line, then send (or accept) the calendar invite. Soft language like “Thursday-ish works” is not a confirmation — see how to confirm a meeting.

For remote threads, label every list with a timezone. If you know their zone, show both on each line (9–10am PST / 12–1pm EST). Near daylight-saving switches, write both zones explicitly. Full patterns: share availability across time zones.

If they go quiet after your list, wait three to four business days, then bump once with two fresh times — not “any update?” Templates: how to follow up on a meeting request.

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Common mistakes

• “I’m pretty free next week.” Give days and ranges.
• Answering with another open question. They asked you to propose; propose.
• Missing timezone. Wrong-hour meetings are hard to recover.
• Too many slots or unchecked times. More than about six feels like a dump; unverified slots force an immediate reschedule.
• A booking link for a warm one-to-one. Pasteable free times usually feel clearer in-thread.
• Confirming without an invite. Block the time the same day they pick.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How do I reply when someone asks for my availability?

Reply with two to five real free windows in Day (Date): time range format, name the timezone once, and ask them to pick one. Offer an escape hatch if none work. Plain text in the same thread beats a vague paragraph or a booking link for most one-to-one conversations.

What should I say when someone asks “when are you free?”

Treat it as a request for options. State the duration if they did not, list two or three windows with a timezone, and ask them to reply with a preference. Do not answer “anytime” or push the question back unless their calendar is clearly the hard constraint.

How many availability slots should I send in a reply?

Two or three for a simple one-to-one. Three to four for clients or warm sales. Four to six across a couple of weeks for recruiter or panel threads. Prefer ranges over single points so small conflicts do not kill every option.

Should I send a Calendly or booking link when they ask for availability?

Only if that is already how you schedule together, or you handle high-volume inbound meetings where self-serve booking is expected. When they asked in an email or chat thread, a plain-text list usually answers the question more directly and keeps the conversation in one place.

What if none of my times will work?

Say so briefly, offer the soonest real windows you can honor, or ask whether a later week is acceptable. If their calendar is the hard constraint, ask them for two windows after you have still shown a shortlist. Do not invent optimistic times you will cancel.

How fast should I reply to an availability ask?

Same day when you can, especially for recruiters and clients. Waiting several days often means the slot they had in mind is gone. If you need time to check a shared calendar, send a one-line acknowledgment and follow with the list within a business day.

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TL;DR

1. Answer “when are you free?” with real windows — not “anytime,” not another open question.
2. Format as Day (Date): time range, one day per line, with the timezone named once.
3. Offer two to five options; ask them to pick one; include an escape hatch.
4. Confirm in one line and send the calendar invite the same day they choose.
5. Pull options from your real calendar with ShareAvailability so you copy plain-text free times — not a booking or share link — before you reply.

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Related Guides

• How to ask for availability: the other side of this conversation — when you should ask instead of answer.
• How to send availability in email: fuller send patterns and subject-line tips.
• How to list availability in an email: formatting rules for paste-ready free times.
• How to propose meeting times: when you are initiating the meeting, not replying to an ask.
• How to confirm a meeting: lock the slot and send the invite after they pick.

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ShareAvailability turns Google Calendar, Outlook / Microsoft 365, or Apple Calendar (public iCloud link) into a plain-text list of free times. Copy, paste, send. Free. No booking or share link — only clipboard text for the message you are already writing.