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Every Quarter (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct)

Runs the job at midnight on the first day of each calendar quarter: January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. This is used for quarterly financial reports, tax preparation tasks, quarterly reviews, and any business process aligned with fiscal quarters.

Cron Expression 0 0 1 1,4,7,10 *

What is the cron expression for Every Quarter (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct)?

The cron expression for Every Quarter (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct) is 0 0 1 1,4,7,10 *. This five-field cron schedule uses the format minute, hour, day-of-month, month, and day-of-week. Runs the job at midnight on the first day of each calendar quarter: January 1, April 1, July 1, and October 1. This is used for quarterly financial reports, tax preparation tasks, quarterly reviews, and any business process aligned with fiscal quarters. Common use cases include quarterly financial reports and tax preparation tasks.

Field Breakdown

Field Value Meaning
Minute 0 At minute 0
Hour 0 At midnight
Day of Month 1 On the 1st
Month 1,4,7,10 January, April, July, October
Day of Week * Any day of the week

Example Next Run Times

  1. 1. 2026-07-01 00:00
  2. 2. 2026-10-01 00:00
  3. 3. 2027-01-01 00:00
  4. 4. 2027-04-01 00:00
  5. 5. 2027-07-01 00:00

Common Use Cases

Frequently Asked Questions

What if my fiscal year does not start in January?

Adjust the month list to match your fiscal quarters. For a fiscal year starting in February, use 1,4,7,10 replaced with 2,5,8,11.

Can I use */3 for quarterly?

Yes, 0 0 1 */3 * runs every 3 months starting from January. However, the explicit list 1,4,7,10 is clearer about which months are targeted and avoids ambiguity.

How do I run at the end of each quarter instead?

Target the last day of March, June, September, and December. Use 0 0 28-31 3,6,9,12 * with a last-day-of-month check in your script.

Related Cron Expressions

0 0 1 * * First Day of Month 0 0 1 1 * Yearly on January 1 0 0 28-31 * * Last Day of Month

Related Reading

Cron Expression Guide: Syntax, Examples & Common Schedules → How to Generate UUID v4 in JavaScript →