Recurring Tasks
Set tasks to repeat on a schedule - daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or custom intervals with day-of-week control, end dates, and precise handling of completions and date changes.
Recurring tasks automatically create a new occurrence when you complete them. Set the pattern once, and every time you finish the task, PrimeTask generates the next one with the right due date - so you never have to manually recreate your daily standup, weekly review, monthly report, or yearly renewal. Each occurrence is a full task with its own status, subtasks, and checklists, reset and ready to work on.
What you can do
Pick from five frequencies
daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, or custom (every N days/weeks/months/years)
Choose which days of the week
the task repeats on - include specific days or exclude specific days
Set an optional end date
so the series stops after a certain date
Complete a recurring task
and have the next occurrence generated automatically
Modify a single occurrence's date
without changing the pattern - or update all future occurrences at once
Stop a task from recurring
at any time without losing the current occurrence
End a recurring series when you delete an occurrence
by choosing between deleting just this one or ending all future occurrences in the same step
Create recurring tasks from Quick Add
every week or every mon,wed,friHow to set up recurrence
Open the due date picker
click the due date field on any task (in the creation form or on the Task Details Page).
Click Recurring
the recurrence panel appears inside the date picker.
Pick a frequency
choose Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, or Custom.
Optionally refine
add day-of-week filters, set a custom interval, or add an end date.
Click Apply Recurring
the task is now set to recur. A recurring indicator appears on the task in every view.
Things worth knowing
Five frequency options
| Frequency | What it does |
|---|---|
| Daily | Repeats every day (or on specific days - see day-of-week control below) |
| Weekly | Repeats every week on the same day of the week as the due date (or on specific days) |
| Monthly | Repeats every month on the same calendar date (e.g., the 15th of every month) |
| Yearly | Repeats every year on the same date (e.g., December 25th every year) |
| Custom | Repeats every N days, weeks, months, or years - you pick the number and the unit |
Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Yearly all repeat at an interval of 1 (every day, every week, etc.). If you need a different interval - like every 2 weeks, every 3 months, or every 6 days - use Custom and set the number and unit.
Day-of-week control - include or exclude specific days
For daily and weekly patterns (and custom patterns with day or week units), you can specify which days of the week the task should or shouldn't repeat on. There are two modes:
Include mode - the task repeats only on the days you select. Pick Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the task repeats on those three days each week. This is how you create a "three times a week" pattern.
Exclude mode - the task repeats on every day except the ones you select. Pick Saturday and Sunday, and the task repeats every weekday. This is how you create a "weekday only" pattern without having to select five individual days.
Weekday-only recurring tasks
Set frequency to Daily and switch to Exclude mode, then select Saturday and Sunday. The task repeats Monday through Friday automatically. Or use Quick Add: type every weekday or every day except sat,sun.
End date - when the series stops
By default, a recurring task repeats forever - every completion generates the next occurrence. If you want the series to stop after a specific date:
Step 1
In the recurrence panel, click End date
Step 2
Pick the date the series should end
Step 3
Once the next calculated occurrence would fall after this date, no new task is generated
There is no "after N occurrences" option - the choices are repeat forever or repeat until a specific date.
What happens when you complete a recurring task
This is the question users ask most often. When you mark a recurring task as complete:
The task is marked done
its status changes to complete, like any other task.
A new occurrence is created immediately
PrimeTask generates the next task in the series with: - A new due date calculated from the recurrence pattern - A new start date (if the original had one, maintaining the same offset between start and due) - Status reset to the Space's default (e.g., To Do) - Progress reset to 0% - Checklist items reset to incomplete (all items copied but unchecked) - Subtasks reset - cloned with new IDs, statuses reset, ready to work on again - Assignees, tags, priority, custom fields carried over - the new occurrence inherits these - Time tracking cleared - time entries stay with the completed occurrence; the new one starts fresh - Description carried over - the same description text transfers
The completed occurrence stays visible
it's marked as done in your task list, preserving the history of the series.
Only one new task is created
if you missed several days and then complete the task, PrimeTask generates just the next single occurrence, not a backlog of missed ones.
Catching up on overdue recurring tasks
If a daily recurring task was due Monday and you don't complete it until Thursday, completing it generates Tuesday's occurrence (the next scheduled date after Monday) - not Thursday's or Friday's. You'll then need to complete Tuesday's to get Wednesday's, and Wednesday's to get Thursday's. Each completion moves you one step forward in the series. This ensures the series stays consistent, but it means catching up on a week of missed daily tasks requires completing each day individually. If you'd rather just jump back to today, you can delete the stale overdue occurrence with This occurrence only and reopen the app: the next instance of the series will surface dated today, ready to act on.
Skip ahead by dragging on the calendar
If you don't want to complete each missed day individually, simply drag the overdue task to today's date (or any future date) on the Task Calendar View. PrimeTask asks whether the change applies to this task only or all future occurrences - pick one and the task jumps forward in one step. No sequential catch-up needed. Alternatively, complete each overdue occurrence in rapid succession from List View using right-click → Mark Complete. Each completion instantly generates the next one, so clearing a week takes about 10 seconds.
Changing the due date of a recurring task
When you change the due date of a task that's already set to recur, PrimeTask asks how the change should affect the series:
- This time only - only this occurrence's due date changes. Future occurrences follow the original pattern as if you hadn't changed anything. Useful for a one-time reschedule.
- All future occurrences - the new due date becomes the anchor for all future occurrences. The pattern shifts to the new date going forward. Use this when you're permanently moving the task to a different day.
- Stop recurring - removes the recurrence entirely. The task becomes a one-time task with the new due date.
This three-way choice gives you precise control over single exceptions vs permanent changes.
Removing recurrence
To stop a task from recurring without changing its date:
Step 1
Open the due date picker on the recurring task
Step 2
Click Recurring to see the recurrence panel
Step 3
Click Clear Recurrence
The task keeps its current due date but will no longer generate new occurrences when completed.
If you'd rather end the series and remove the active task in one step, you can also delete the task and pick This and all following occurrences in the prompt. See the next section for details.
Deleting a recurring task
Deleting a recurring task isn't quite the same as deleting a one-off task: you have a series to think about, not just a single record. So when you delete a recurring task from anywhere in PrimeTask, you're asked how you want to handle the series. Two clear options:
- This occurrence only removes the single task you're deleting and leaves the recurring series intact. Future occurrences continue to appear on schedule. Pick this when you want to skip just this one instance.
- This and all following occurrences removes the task and ends the recurring series. No future occurrences will ever be created for this series. Pick this when you're done with the recurring task entirely and want it to stop generating new ones.
The same prompt shows up wherever you can delete a task in PrimeTask:
- Right-click delete on the task list, board, calendar, and Gantt
- Delete button on the Task Details Page
- Bulk select delete (your choice applies to every recurring task in the selection)
- The Gantt selection toolbar
- The Day Planner toolbar in the Calendar
- The CRM Tasks page right-click menu
- The Tasks tabs inside Contact and Company detail pages
Mixed bulk deletes work cleanly too: select a mix of recurring and one-off tasks, confirm once, and each task is handled correctly. Recurring tasks follow your chosen option, one-off tasks are simply deleted.
Same prompt everywhere.
Whether you're deleting from the task list, the Gantt toolbar, the Calendar's Day Planner toolbar, the CRM Tasks page, or anywhere else you can delete a task, the same two choices appear so your decision is consistent across the app.
Creating recurring tasks from Quick Add
Quick Add supports recurrence via the every keyword. Examples:
every day- dailyevery 2 weeks- biweeklyevery month- monthlyevery year- yearlyevery weekdayorevery workday- Monday through Fridayevery mon,wed,fri- specific daysevery monday and friday- spelled outevery day except sat,sun- daily excluding weekends
Combine with other Quick Add tokens: "Weekly team standup every monday 10am !high @Work #meetings" creates a recurring task with the due date, time, priority, project, and tag all set in one line. See Quick Add and Quick Add Settings.
Recurring tasks and Apple Calendar / Reminders
When a recurring task syncs to Apple Calendar or Apple Reminders, each occurrence syncs as a separate entry - not as a native recurring event. PrimeTask manages the recurrence logic; Apple's apps see individual items. When you complete a recurring task:
Step 1
The linked Calendar event or Reminder is marked complete
Step 2
PrimeTask generates the next occurrence
Step 3
A new Calendar event or Reminder is created for the new occurrence
If you enable recurrence on a task that's already synced to Apple Calendar or Reminders, PrimeTask shows a confirmation explaining that per-occurrence sync will be used. See Integrations Settings.
Recurring tasks are tasks, not events
This is a common source of confusion: a recurring task behaves differently from a recurring event in a calendar app.
- A recurring task generates the next occurrence only when you complete the current one. If you fall behind, you catch up one at a time. This is how every major task management app works (PrimeTask, ClickUp, Todoist, Asana - all the same logic) because a task represents work to be done, and unfinished work shouldn't silently generate more work on top of it.
- A recurring event in a calendar (Apple Calendar, Google Calendar) shows every occurrence on the calendar regardless - Monday's, Tuesday's, Wednesday's all exist simultaneously. This is because events represent time slots on a schedule, not work items to complete.
If you want recurring entries that appear on every scheduled day regardless of whether you completed previous ones, the best approach is:
Set up PrimeTask's **Apple Calendar integration**
see Integrations Settings (macOS only)
Step 2
Create a recurring event directly in Apple Calendar (not in PrimeTask)
Step 3
The recurring event shows up on PrimeTask's Calendar page on every scheduled day
Step 4
When you're ready to act on a specific day's event, convert it to a task on demand from the calendar
This gives you the "every day is visible" behavior from the calendar side, with the flexibility to convert individual occurrences to trackable tasks when needed.
Visual indicators
Recurring tasks show a recurring indicator on every view - list, board, calendar, Gantt, task detail page, CRM task sections, and project task lists. The indicator tells you at a glance that a task is part of a series.
Recurring tasks in views
- List View - recurring tasks show the indicator alongside the task name
- Board View - the recurring indicator appears on the card
- Calendar View - the current occurrence appears on its due date; complete it and the next occurrence appears on the next scheduled date
- Gantt View - each occurrence appears as a separate bar on the timeline at its own date
Common questions
"I completed my daily task on Wednesday but the next one shows as Tuesday. Why?"
The next occurrence's date is calculated from the original schedule, not from when you actually completed it. If the daily task was due Monday and you completed it Wednesday, the next due date is Tuesday (the next day after Monday) - not Thursday. This preserves your intended schedule and prevents the pattern from drifting. You'll need to complete Tuesday's occurrence to get Wednesday's, then Wednesday's to get Thursday's, until you're caught up to today.
"I want a task to repeat every two weeks. How?"
Use Custom frequency: set the interval to 2 and the unit to Weeks. Or in Quick Add, type every 2 weeks.
"I want a task that only repeats on weekdays (Monday–Friday)."
Set frequency to Daily, switch the day selection to Exclude mode, and select Saturday and Sunday. Or in Quick Add: every weekday.
"I want the task to stop repeating after December 2026."
Open the recurrence settings and set the End date to December 31, 2026. After that date, no new occurrences are generated.
"I missed several days of a daily recurring task. How do I catch up?"
Fastest way: Drag the overdue task to today's date on the calendar. PrimeTask asks if the change applies to this task only or all future occurrences - pick one and you skip straight to today. No sequential catch-up needed.
"I rescheduled one occurrence to next week. Will all future ones shift too?"
Only if you chose All future occurrences when changing the date. If you chose This time only, only this occurrence moves - future ones stick to the original pattern.
"I want to change from weekly to daily."
Open the task's due date picker, click Recurring, and change the frequency from Weekly to Daily. The change applies immediately.
"My subtasks are gone after the task recurred."
They're not gone - they were reset on the new occurrence. The completed occurrence still has its completed subtasks. The new occurrence has fresh copies of all subtasks with their statuses reset to incomplete, ready for you to work through again.
"What about time tracking? Does it carry over?"
No. Time entries stay with the completed occurrence. The new occurrence starts with zero tracked time. This is intentional - each occurrence's time tracking is independent, so you can see how long each cycle took.
"Can I create a task that repeats on the 1st and 15th of every month?"
Not with a single recurrence rule - each task has one recurrence pattern. The workaround is to create two separate recurring tasks: one due on the 1st (monthly), one due on the 15th (monthly).
"How do I stop a recurring task from recurring entirely?"
You have three paths, all equivalent:
"What happens to the rest of the series if I pick This and all following?"
The recurring series ends. No new occurrences will ever be generated for that task. The past instances you've already completed stay in your task list as a record of work done; you don't lose any history. If you want them gone too, delete them individually like you would any other completed task.
"I deleted a recurring task but a new one keeps appearing. Why?"
Almost certainly because you picked This occurrence only (or you're seeing the next scheduled instance generated when the app reopens). To end the recurring series entirely, delete the task again and pick This and all following occurrences in the prompt. After that, no new occurrences will be generated.
Where to go next
| If you want to… | Read this |
|---|---|
| See the full task detail page where recurrence is configured | Task Details Page |
| Create a recurring task from Quick Add | Quick Add / Quick Add Settings |
| Manage subtasks that reset each occurrence | Subtasks & Checklists |
| Track time on recurring tasks | Task Time Tracking |
| See recurring tasks on the calendar | Task Calendar View |
| See recurring tasks on the Gantt chart | Gantt View |
| Sync recurring tasks to Apple Calendar | Integrations Settings |
| Return to the Tasks hub | Tasks Overview |