> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.timetracker.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Recurring tasks

> Make a task repeat daily, weekly or monthly. The next occurrence is created when you complete the task, so your board never fills with future work.

Set a task to repeat and TimeTracker creates the next one **when you finish this one** – not in advance.

## How recurrence works here

Most tools pre-generate a series of future tasks. TimeTracker does not. One task exists at a time, and completing it makes the next.

That choice keeps your board honest. A retainer check-in that repeats weekly does not show 52 open cards; it shows the one you owe this week.

| Rule                       | Behaviour                                                  |
| -------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| When the next task is made | The moment the task enters a **Done** section              |
| How many are made          | Exactly one                                                |
| Repeat completions         | Completing the same task twice never makes two occurrences |
| Reopening a finished task  | Does not remove the occurrence that was already made       |

## Turn on repeating

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the full task page">
    Repeat settings are in the **More** card in the right rail.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Turn on Repeats">
    The helper text confirms: "The next occurrence is created when you complete this task, not ahead of time."
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Every">
    A number, one or higher. This is how many cadence units to skip.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set Cadence">
    **Daily**, **Weekly** or **Monthly**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

Changes save as you make them. There is no separate Save button.

## Turn off repeating

Switch **Repeats** off. The task stops recurring. Occurrences already created are untouched – they are ordinary tasks now.

## Cadence options

| Cadence     | "Every 1" means | "Every 2" means  |
| ----------- | --------------- | ---------------- |
| **Daily**   | Every day       | Every other day  |
| **Weekly**  | Every week      | Every two weeks  |
| **Monthly** | Every month     | Every two months |

<Note>
  Monthly clamps to the end of a short month. A task due 31 January that repeats monthly comes back on 28 February – or 29 in a leap year – rather than spilling into March.
</Note>

## What the next occurrence carries

When you complete a repeating task, the new one is created with:

| Copied                         | Not copied         |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------ |
| Title                          | Comments           |
| Priority                       | Attachments        |
| Assignee and collaborators     | Tracked time       |
| Tags                           | Dependencies       |
| Estimate, current and original | Subtasks           |
| Billable flag and rate         | The old start date |
| Visible to client              | –                  |
| The repeat rule itself         | –                  |

The new occurrence:

* Starts in the project's first **Not started** section, so its stage resets.
* Has a **new due date**, worked out from the completed task's due date and the cadence. A task with no due date is measured from the moment you completed it.
* Has **no start date**.
* Gets its own task number.
* Is appended at the end of that section.

Occurrences in the same repeat chain are linked to each other, so the history of a recurring task can be followed.

## Where a repeating task is marked

A repeating task shows a recurring marker on its board card. Completing one shows a toast reading "Task completed. Next occurrence created."

## Example

Northwind Studio runs a **Monthly Retainer** for Bluebird Coffee, budgeted at 40 hours a month.

Priya Raman creates "Monthly analytics review", assigns it to Jonas Bergman, sets a due date of the 5th, sets an estimate of 4 hours, and turns on **Repeats** with **Every 1**, **Monthly**.

On 5 March Jonas drags the card into **Done**. A new task appears in **To do**, due 5 April, still assigned to Jonas, still estimated at 4 hours, with the same tags. The March task keeps its comments and its 3.5 hours of tracked time; the April one starts clean.

Jonas's 3.5 hours at $120/hour are worth **$420\*\* to the retainer, and at a cost rate of $60/hour they cost **$210\*\*.

## Options and settings

| Control     | Values                     | Notes                          |
| ----------- | -------------------------- | ------------------------------ |
| **Repeats** | On / off                   | Off clears the rule completely |
| **Every**   | 1 or higher, whole numbers | Values below 1 are refused     |
| **Cadence** | Daily, Weekly, Monthly     | –                              |

There is no end date and no occurrence count. A repeating task keeps repeating until you switch **Repeats** off.

## Bulk completion

Moving several tasks into a Done section with the bulk bar fires recurrence for each repeating task in the selection – once each. See [/tasks/bulk-actions](/tasks/bulk-actions).

## Permissions

| Action                                    | Capability  |
| ----------------------------------------- | ----------- |
| Turn repeating on or off                  | `task.edit` |
| Change the cadence or interval            | `task.edit` |
| Trigger the next occurrence by completing | `task.edit` |

| Role            | Can set a repeat |
| --------------- | ---------------- |
| Owner           | Yes              |
| Admin           | Yes              |
| Project Manager | Yes              |
| Finance         | No               |
| Member          | Yes              |
| Contractor      | Yes              |
| Client          | No               |

Recurring tasks are part of the **Projects & tasks** app, which is on by default and included on the **Free** plan. Switching off other apps – Invoices, Planner – does not affect them.

## What happens next

* The new occurrence counts toward the project's task count.
* If it has an assignee, that person's day list and widget update.
* Its due date schedules a deadline reminder in the usual way.
* The completion is recorded on the original task's Activity feed.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why is my next task not there before I finish this one?">
    By design. Generating a year of future cards buries the work you actually owe. One task exists at a time.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What if I complete a task twice?">
    Only one occurrence is ever created for a given completion. Reopening and re-completing the same task does not produce duplicates.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do subtasks repeat?">
    Subtasks are not copied to the next occurrence. If the routine has steps, add them to the new occurrence, or describe them in the description so they carry over.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I stop a repeat after N times?">
    There is no count or end date. Switch **Repeats** off on the current occurrence when you are done.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to the repeat if I move the task to another project?">
    The rule travels with the task. The next occurrence is created in whichever project the task is in when you complete it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does the next occurrence copy tracked time?">
    No. Each occurrence records its own hours, which is what makes a recurring retainer measurable month by month.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="I completed a repeating task and no new one appeared">
    Check that **Repeats** was actually on, and look in the project's first **Not started** section – the new occurrence starts there, not in the section you completed from.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Couldn't update recurrence. You may lack permission.">
    Setting a repeat needs `task.edit`. Finance and Client roles do not hold it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The Every field will not accept my value">
    It has to be a whole number of 1 or more. Fractions and zero are refused.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The new due date is not what I expected">
    The date is worked out from the completed task's **due date**. If the task had no due date, it is measured from the moment you completed it instead.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Task fields" icon="list" href="/tasks/task-fields">
    Everything the next occurrence copies.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Project sections" icon="columns" href="/projects/project-sections">
    Where a new occurrence starts.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Recurring retainers" icon="repeat" href="/budgets/recurring-retainers">
    Monthly budgets for repeating work.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bulk actions" icon="layers" href="/tasks/bulk-actions">
    Completing many tasks at once.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Task details" icon="panel-right" href="/tasks/task-details">
    Where the More card lives.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>