Solution

A holiday answering service for when the office is closed.

Holidays close your office but not your customers' problems. Leap answers the calls you forward to it on holidays, at the same price as any other day.

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The short answerUpdated October 5, 2026

A holiday answering service covers inbound calls on days the office is closed for a holiday. Leap answers the calls you forward to it, can tell callers the office is closed, answers from your approved information, takes messages and requests, and marks urgent calls for your team. There is no holiday surcharge.

  • 11 holidays. There are 11 federal holidays in 2026, from New Year's Day on January 1 to Christmas Day on December 25.

    U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Federal Holidays (2026)

  • No surcharge. Holiday calls cost the same as any other call: $149 a month, first 100 calls included, then $0.99 a call.

  • Closed greeting. You can turn on an after-hours greeting that tells callers the office is closed and offers to take a message.

  • Urgent flag. Urgent holiday calls get your approved emergency contact and reach your team marked urgent.

  • Dial code. Before a holiday, the every-call forwarding code sends all calls to Leap. The off code switches back after.

What is a holiday answering service?

A holiday answering service picks up when your office is closed for a holiday. The Office of Personnel Management lists 11 federal holidays in 2026, and many small businesses also close for the day after Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve.

Live answering services often add a holiday rate. Leap charges the same per call on a holiday as on any other day.

How to cover a holiday closure with Leap

Leap answers the calls forwarded to it, so a holiday plan is a forwarding plan. The day before, dial your carrier's every-call code: *72 plus your Leap number on Verizon, **21* plus the number and # on T-Mobile, or *21* plus the number and # on AT&T. Dial the off code when you reopen.

If you leave ring-first forwarding on all year, holiday calls ring your phone first and reach Leap only when nobody answers. Many office phone systems with a holiday schedule can forward on those dates by themselves.

  • Verizon

    Every call: *72 plus your Leap number. Off: *73.

  • T-Mobile

    Every call: **21* plus your Leap number and #. Off: ##21#.

  • AT&T

    Every call: *21* plus your Leap number and #. Off: #21#.

  • Office phone systems

    Set a holiday forwarding rule in the system itself, since dial codes can't schedule themselves.

What callers hear on a holiday

With the after-hours greeting on, callers hear that the office is closed and that the receptionist can take a message. They can still ask when you reopen, where you are, or what a service costs, and get an answer from your approved information.

For urgent problems, Leap gives the emergency contact you approve and sends the message to your team marked urgent. Live transfer runs only during office hours, so on a closed day Leap takes the message instead.

How it works

  1. 01

    Set your hours in Leap.

    Leap uses your hours for the closed greeting, if you turn it on, and for when live transfer is allowed.

  2. 02

    Forward before the holiday.

    Dial your carrier's every-call code, or set a holiday rule in your phone system.

  3. 03

    Reopen with a list.

    Each holiday call is in the inbox with its summary and follow-up status.

Frequently asked questions

Which holidays does Leap cover?

Any day you forward calls to it. Leap has no holiday calendar of its own; your carrier or phone system decides which calls reach it.

Can Leap tell callers we're closed for the holiday?

You can turn on an after-hours greeting that says the office is closed and offers to take a message, and you can edit the wording.

Is there a holiday surcharge?

No. Leap is $149 a month, first 100 calls included, then $0.99 a call on holidays and every other day.

What if someone has an emergency on Christmas?

Leap gives the emergency contact you approve, takes the details and marks the message urgent so it reaches your team. For life-threatening situations it tells the caller to call emergency services.

Can I get urgent holiday calls on my phone without the routine ones?

Yes. Leap's notification rules are written in plain English and can use call content, time and day, so urgent calls can go to you while routine ones wait in the inbox.

Can callers book appointments over a holiday?

They can leave an appointment request, and they get a text saying it reached your office. With Google Calendar connected, Leap can book open time directly.

How do I switch back after the holiday?

Dial your carrier's off code (for example *73 on Verizon) or switch back to ring-first. Leap's forwarding setup shows both codes.

Which businesses use holiday coverage?

Offices that close on holidays but still get calls: medical and dental practices, property managers, home service trades, and law and insurance offices.

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