> ## 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.

# Subtasks

> Break a task into steps with subtasks – one level deep, each with its own assignee, due date and tracked time, and each completing on its own.

A subtask is a task with a parent. It has its own assignee, its own due date, its own estimate and its own tracked time.

## What is a subtask?

Subtasks let you break "Homepage wireframes" into "Sketch layouts", "Build in Figma" and "Send for review" without inventing three separate tasks that lose their link.

The hierarchy is exactly **one level deep**. A subtask can never have subtasks of its own.

<Info>
  Hierarchy here is a relationship, not containment. A subtask sits in a section like any other task, so a finished subtask can be in **Done** while its parent is still **In progress**.
</Info>

## Completion is per task

This is the rule people are most often surprised by:

* Completing a parent does **not** complete its subtasks.
* Completing every subtask does **not** complete the parent.

Each is an independent work item that you finish when it is finished. There is no cascade anywhere in the product.

## Add a subtask

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="From the project list">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Hover the parent task's row">
        A **+** appears at the right of the row. It only shows on top-level tasks.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Type the subtask title">
        Press **Enter**. The subtask lands in the same section as its parent.
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="From the task detail">
    <Steps>
      <Step title="Open the task">
        Click it in the list or on the board.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Open the Subtasks section">
        In the side panel it is a collapsible section. On the full page it sits under Attachments.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Click the add control">
        An inline form appears with a title field and an assignee dropdown.
      </Step>

      <Step title="Fill it in and save">
        The placeholder asks "What needs to be done?". A toast confirms "Subtask created."
      </Step>
    </Steps>
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## How subtasks appear

| Surface                  | How a subtask shows                                                                             |
| ------------------------ | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Project **List** tab     | As its own row, in its own section, with a small chip carrying the parent's task number         |
| Project **Board** tab    | As its own card, in its own column, marked as a subtask                                         |
| Parent task detail       | In the **Subtasks** section, with a checkbox, assignee avatar, due date and its own task number |
| Board card of the parent | A count of done subtasks out of the total                                                       |
| **Tasks** page           | Subtasks are not shown – the day list keeps to top-level work                                   |

Listing a subtask in its own section is deliberate. A section is a stage, so putting a finished subtask inside a card that is still in progress would say something untrue about where the work sits.

## Complete a subtask

Tick the checkbox in the **Subtasks** section, or drag the subtask's own row or card into a Done section. Untick or drag it back to reopen it.

Ticking the checkbox moves the subtask into the project's Done section. Unticking moves it to the project's first not-started section, or the first active one if there is none.

## Example

"Homepage wireframes" (`WR-142`) on Bluebird Coffee – **Website Redesign** has three subtasks:

| Subtask                  | Assignee      | Section     |
| ------------------------ | ------------- | ----------- |
| `WR-143` Sketch layouts  | Sarah Lin     | Done        |
| `WR-144` Build in Figma  | Sarah Lin     | In progress |
| `WR-145` Send for review | Jonas Bergman | To do       |

The board card for `WR-142` shows **1/3** subtasks done. `WR-143` has its own card sitting in the Done column, with a chip naming `WR-142` as its parent. `WR-142` itself is still In progress, and stays there until Priya moves it.

## Options and settings

| Control                       | What it does                              |
| ----------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| Checkbox                      | Completes or reopens that subtask         |
| Assignee dropdown (on create) | Offers **Unassigned** plus the roster     |
| Subtask row link              | Opens that subtask's own full page        |
| Row three-dot menu            | Archive, Delete, Restore for that subtask |

A subtask carries every field a task does – priority, dates, tags, estimate, comments, attachments and its own tracked time.

## What happens next

* The subtask is appended after the last task in its section.
* It gets its own task number from the same project sequence, so parents and subtasks share one numbering run.
* Its hours are its own. A section's total time is the flat sum of the tasks in it, so nothing is double counted.

## Permissions

| Action                       | Capability    |
| ---------------------------- | ------------- |
| Create a subtask             | `task.create` |
| Edit a subtask               | `task.edit`   |
| Complete or reopen a subtask | `task.edit`   |
| Delete a subtask             | `task.delete` |

Owner, Admin, Project Manager, Member and Contractor can create and edit. Deleting stops at Project Manager. See [/tasks/task-permissions](/tasks/task-permissions).

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can a subtask have its own subtasks?">
    No. The limit is one level. The **+** for adding a subtask does not appear on a subtask row, and the server refuses it as well.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do subtask hours roll up into the parent?">
    Not in the list or on the board. Each row shows its own tracked time, and a section total is the flat sum of the tasks in it, so the header always equals the rows.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I move a subtask to another project on its own?">
    No. Move the parent – the subtasks travel with it and are re-stamped with new task numbers in the target project.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens to subtasks when I delete the parent?">
    They go to Trash with it, and come back with it if you restore. See [/tasks/delete-and-restore-a-task](/tasks/delete-and-restore-a-task).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Does duplicating a task duplicate its subtasks?">
    Yes. Duplicate copies the task and its subtasks, one level, into the same section.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why do subtasks not appear on my Tasks page?">
    The Tasks page is a day plan of top-level work. Open the parent task to work through its steps.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The + to add a subtask is missing">
    You are hovering a subtask, not a parent. Subtasks cannot be nested.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Ticking a subtask checkbox does nothing">
    The project has no section with the **Done** category, so there is nowhere to move the subtask to. A message says "No workflow stage is configured for this action." Set a section's category in the project **List** tab.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="A subtask disappeared from the parent card count">
    Check whether it was deleted. Deleted tasks go to Trash and stop counting. See [/settings/trash](/settings/trash).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Task views" icon="layout" href="/tasks/task-views">
    Why subtasks get their own row and card.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Task numbers" icon="hash" href="/tasks/task-numbers">
    Parents and subtasks share one sequence.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Task dependencies" icon="link" href="/tasks/task-dependencies">
    Blockers are a different relationship.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Project sections" icon="columns" href="/projects/project-sections">
    A section is a stage, not a container.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Bulk actions" icon="layers" href="/tasks/bulk-actions">
    Duplicating copies subtasks too.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>