How recurring jobs work

Recurring jobs let Tidyflow create the next job in a series for you, so repeating work like weekly bookkeeping, monthly management accounts, quarterly filings, or annual tax returns keeps appearing on schedule without being rebuilt each time.

This article explains:

• How to turn on Repeat for a job
• How to set up quarterly jobs
• The options that control when the next job is created
• How subtask due dates carry into each new job
• A worked example

---

Turn on Repeat for a job

You set repeating behavior on the job itself. Open the job, then open its Repeat Settings.

In Repeat Settings you can choose:

• Repeat frequency: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, or Yearly (choose Not repeating to turn it off)
• Repeat every interval, for example every 2 weeks
• The specific days, when relevant. Weekly repeats require at least one day of the week. Monthly repeats let you pick days of the month

The job’s own due date drives the schedule, so set the due date on the first job in the series to the date that period’s work is actually due.

Recurring settings also exist on Job Templates, which is the better fit when you want the same recurring work across many clients. See Job Templates.

---

How to set up a quarterly job

There is no separate quarterly frequency. For work that repeats every three months, choose Monthly, pick the day of the month, and set Repeat every to 3. To tie quarters to fixed months, such as a set filing schedule, select those months under Months instead.

The same pattern covers other intervals: every two months is Monthly, Repeat every 2, and fortnightly is Weekly, Repeat every 2.

---

When the next job is created

The When to create the next job setting controls the timing of the next job in the series. There are three options.

On completion. The next job is created the moment you mark the current job complete. If the current job is never completed, the next one is not created. This suits work that only makes sense once the previous round is finished.

When overdue. The next job is created once the current job passes its due date and is still open. If several periods have already gone by, Tidyflow catches the series up so you have a current job to work from.

Days before due. The next job is created a set number of days before its own due date, or as soon as you complete the current job, whichever comes first. Enter the number of days in the days before its due date field. This is the option to use when you want each job to appear on a predictable day, ahead of when it is due, without waiting for the previous one to be finished.

---

Example: creating each job ahead of its due date

Days before due is the option to use when you want each job to be ready a set time before it is due, rather than waiting for the previous one to be finished.

For example, suppose a job is due on the 20th of each month and you want it ready five days ahead so there is time to work on it:

1. In Repeat Settings, choose Monthly and set the day to the 20th.
2. Set When to create the next job to Days before due, and enter 5.

Each new job is then created on the 15th, five days before its due date. The same approach works for any frequency: set the number of days of lead time you want, and the next job is created that far ahead of its due date.

If you complete a job before that point, the next job is created straight away instead. Its due date stays on the normal schedule, so completing early or late never shifts the series.

---

How subtask due dates carry into each new job

When the next job in a series is created, its subtasks are recreated too, and each subtask keeps the same position relative to the parent job’s due date. If a subtask is due two days before the parent job, the subtask on the next occurrence is also due two days before that occurrence’s due date. Start dates and internal due dates carry over the same way.

This means a subtask schedule you set up once shifts forward with the series, so you do not have to re-date subtasks each period.

---

If you are not sure which option fits your workflow, just let us know and we are happy to help.