Most WordPress forms stay open until you remember to close them. For a contact form, that’s fine.
For a job application, an event registration, or a limited-time offer, it means submissions keep arriving after the deadline — and you deal with them manually.
Everest Forms Pro lets you set an open date, a close date, or both directly in the form builder.
Once configured, the form enforces its own deadline. No manual removal, no missed submissions after the cut-off.
This guide covers how to configure form scheduling in WordPress using Everest Forms. If you don’t have Everest Forms yet, get it here →
Step 1: Activate the Form Restriction Addon
Form scheduling is part of the Form Restriction addon. Activate it first before opening your form settings.
From your WordPress dashboard, go to Everest Forms → Add-ons.
Search for Form Restriction. Click Install Addon, then Activate.
The status indicator changes to Activated once it’s live.
Step 2: Open Your Form Settings
Go to Everest Forms → All Forms and open the form you want to schedule.
Inside the form builder, click the Settings tab. Select Form Restriction from the left menu.
You’ll see six restriction options. For scheduling, you need Form Scheduling.
Step 3: Enable Form Scheduling
Toggle on Form Scheduling.
Day-of-week checkboxes appear immediately: Sunday through Saturday, with a Select All option.
Tick the days you want the form to accept submissions.
Leave all checked if you want the form available every day within your date range.
Step 4: Set Your Date Range
Toggle on Date Scheduling.
Two fields appear: Submission Starts and Submission Ends. Both include a date and time — the format shown is YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM.
You don’t need to fill in both. Set only what applies:
- Submission Starts only — form is unavailable until that date and time, then opens automatically
- Submission Ends only — form accepts submissions immediately, then closes at that date and time
- Both — form opens and closes automatically with no manual action needed
Click each field and select the date and time using the calendar picker.
Step 5: Set a Specific Time Window (Optional)
Toggle on Time Scheduling if you need the form to open and close at specific times independent of the date range.
Two fields appear: Submission Starts and Submission Ends for time only.
This controls the daily window within which the form accepts submissions — useful for forms tied to business hours or specific time slots.
Leave this off if date scheduling alone is sufficient.
Step 6: Set Your Waiting and Expiry Messages
Two message fields control what visitors see when the form is unavailable:
Form Waiting Message — displayed before the open date. Tell visitors when the form will be available. Example: “Applications open on [date]. Check back then.”
Form Expiry Message — displayed after the close date. Tell visitors the deadline has passed. Example: “This form is now closed. The application deadline was [date].”
Both fields accept plain text. Edit them to match your use case — the defaults are functional but generic.
Step 6: Save and Publish
Click Save at the top of the form builder.
If your form is already live on a page, the scheduling settings take effect immediately. No need to update the page.
If the form isn’t published yet, go to Posts/Pages → Add New, add the Everest Forms block, select your form from the dropdown, and publish the page.
What Visitors See
Before the open date: The waiting message replaces the form. The form fields are not visible.
Between open and close dates: The form displays and accepts submissions normally.
After the close date: The expiry message replaces the form. No further submissions are possible.
Visitors never see an error — they see the message you wrote. That keeps the experience clean even when the form is unavailable.
Combining Scheduling with Other Restrictions
Form scheduling works alongside the other Form Restriction settings. Common combinations:
Scheduling + Entry Limitation — close the form on a date or when a submission cap is hit, whichever comes first. Useful for events with both a registration deadline and a seat limit.
Scheduling + User Restriction — open the form only during a set window and only to logged-in users. Useful for member-only campaigns with a fixed enrolment period.
Enable both settings in the same Form Restriction panel. They operate independently.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does form scheduling work with all form types in Everest Forms? Yes. Contact forms, registration forms, booking forms, application forms — any form built in Everest Forms supports scheduling. The Form Restriction settings panel is available on every form.
Can I schedule a form to open and close on the same day? Yes. Set the same date for both Submission Starts and Submission Ends, then use time scheduling to control the open and close window within that day.
What happens to submissions already received when a form closes? Existing entries are unaffected. The form closes to new submissions only. All entries collected before the close date remain in your Everest Forms entries dashboard.
Can I reopen a form after it closes? Yes. Go back to the Form Restriction settings, update the close date or disable scheduling entirely, and save. The form accepts submissions again immediately.
Is form scheduling included in all Everest Forms Pro plans? Yes. All Pro plans include the Form Restriction addon. Plans differ only in the number of site licenses.
I need to limit total submissions, not just set a date. Is that possible? Yes — that’s the Entry Limitation setting in the same Form Restriction panel. See how to limit form submissions in WordPress →
The Form Restriction addon also covers logged-in user access, password protection, country restrictions, and empty submission prevention. See the full overview →