Time

The Time condition checks whether the current time is in a time window, or whether today is one of the days of the week that you select. Use it when an automation should only continue at certain times. For example, the automation only turns on a light at full brightness during the day, or only sends a reminder on weekdays.

The time can be a fixed time, or the value of a date and time helper, a time entityAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more], or a timestamp sensor. With a helper that you create yourself, you can change the time later without editing the automation.

Using this condition from the user interface

If you prefer building automations visually, Home Assistant walks you through this condition step by step. You pick what to check, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To use this condition in an automation:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. In the And if section, select Add condition.
4. From the search box, search for and select Time.
5. Set at least one of the following:
   • For the start of the time window, under After, select Fixed time or Value of a date/time helper or timestamp-class sensor. Then enter the time, or select the entity.
   • For the end of the time window, do the same under Before.
   • To only pass on some days, select them under Days of the week.
6. Select Save.

Options in the UI

Using this condition in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, use condition: time. A basic example looks like this:

condition: time
after: "08:00:00"
before: "20:00:00"

This passes from 08:00 until just before 20:00.

Options in YAML

The options in YAML are the same as in the UI.

The following example uses two date and time helpers that you create yourself, for quiet hours that you can change on a dashboard:

condition: time
after: input_datetime.quiet_hours_start
before: input_datetime.quiet_hours_end

Good to know

• The time window starts exactly at After, and ends just before Before. For example, with After set to 15:00 and Before set to 02:00, the condition passes at 15:00:00, but not at 02:00:00.
• If you only set After, the condition passes from that time until midnight. If you only set Before, it passes from midnight until that time.
• If Before is earlier than After, the time window goes past midnight. For example, with After set to 22:00 and Before set to 06:00, the condition passes during the night.
• Days of the week checks the current day. In a time window that goes past midnight, the hours after midnight belong to the next day. For example, at 01:00 on a Saturday, the condition only passes if Saturday is selected.
• If you use an entity, only its time counts. The date is ignored. If a time entity or a timestamp sensor is unavailable (unavailable) or unknown (unknown), the condition doesn’t pass.
• To check for working days, including public holidays, use the Workday integration. It creates a sensor that you can check with a State condition.
• For time windows that change from day to day, a schedule helper can be easier to set up. You can check it with Schedule is on.
• The condition uses the time zone of Home Assistant. You can find it in Settings > System > Home information.
• This condition checks the time right now. To start an automation at a certain time, use the Time trigger.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Go to Settings > Automations & scenes, open an automation, and add this condition. Trigger the automation with and without the condition met, and watch whether it continues or stops.

More examples

Real scenarios where this condition gates an automation. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup. In the visual editor, select the UI options listed in the example or paste the YAML code.

Automation: dim the hallway light at night

When motion is detected in the hallway at night, this automation turns on the hallway light at a low brightness. The time window goes past midnight, from 22:00 until 06:00.

• Trigger: State changed
  • Entity: Hallway motion (binary_sensor.hallway_motion)
  • To: Detected
• Condition: Time
  • After: 22:00:00
  • Before: 06:00:00
• Action: Turn on light
  • Target: Hallway light (light.hallway)
  • Brightness: 10%

alias: "Dim hallway light at night"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.hallway_motion
    to: "on"
conditions:
  - condition: time
    after: "22:00:00"
    before: "06:00:00"
actions:
  - action: light.turn_on
    target:
      entity_id: light.hallway
    data:
      brightness_pct: 10

Automation: open the bedroom blinds after the wake-up time on weekdays

When motion is detected in the bedroom on a weekday, this automation opens the blinds, but only after the wake-up time. The wake-up time comes from a date and time helper with only a time, which you create yourself. In this example, the helper is called Wake-up time (input_datetime.wake_up_time).

• Trigger: State changed
  • Entity: Bedroom motion (binary_sensor.bedroom_motion)
  • To: Detected
• Condition: Time
  • After: Value of a date/time helper or timestamp-class sensor
    • Wake-up time (input_datetime.wake_up_time)
  • Days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday
• Action: Open cover
  • Target: Bedroom blinds (cover.bedroom_blinds)

alias: "Open bedroom blinds after wake-up time"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.bedroom_motion
    to: "on"
conditions:
  - condition: time
    after: input_datetime.wake_up_time
    weekday:
      - mon
      - tue
      - wed
      - thu
      - fri
actions:
  - action: cover.open_cover
    target:
      entity_id: cover.bedroom_blinds

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the condition you’re using and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related conditions

Explore related conditions:

• Schedule is on: Tests if one or more schedule blocks are currently active.

• Calendar event is active: Tests if one or more calendars have an active event.