Due date constraints let you define, once inside a template, exactly when each task should be due relative to a project anchor. When a project is created from that template, Financial Cents calculates and assigns every constrained task's due date automatically.
This is the deep-dive reference for constraints. If you're new to templates, start with Optimize Your Workflow Templates, which has a brief overview of this feature. This article covers the 2 constraint types, step-by-step setup, how constraints resolve at project creation, what happens when you change the project due date later, and edge cases.
The 2 types of due date constraints
Financial Cents supports 2 independent constraint systems. They work differently, serve different purposes, and can coexist on the same task.
Template Settings (all plans)
A template-anchored constraint ties a task's due date to the project's due date or start date. You set it when editing a template.
The 2 options from the Due Date Constraint dropdown in the task modal:
Before project due date — the task comes due N days before the project's due date. Example: a Review task set to 5 days before project due date on a project due March 31 gets a due date of March 26.
After project start date — the task comes due N days after the project's start date. Example: a Kickoff task set to 1 day after project start date on a project starting March 1 gets a due date of March 2.
You enter the number of days and choose the anchor. Both are integers (0 is valid — same day as the anchor).
Dependency Due Date Constraints (Scale plan)
A dependency-anchored constraint ties a task's due date to when a specific other task is completed. You set this on a live project (not in the template) after linking 2 tasks with a dependency.
When the dependency task is marked done, Financial Cents automatically sets the waiting task's due date to: completed date + N days.
This system is separate from the template constraint system and is gated behind the Scale plan.
Set a template setting constraint
Template-anchored constraints are set inside the template editor. You must have the Admin or Owner permission role to edit templates.
Navigate to Workflow > Templates.
Open the template you want to edit.
Click the task you want to constrain. The task modal opens.
In the right column of the modal, find the Due Date Constraint section.
Click Edit.
Enter the Number of days in the text field.
From the dropdown, choose:
Before project due date
After project start date
Click Save.
The task row in the template now shows the constraint summary, for example: "5 days before" or "1 day after."
⚠️Please note. Setting a constraint here does not generate an actual due date in the template itself — it stores the rule. The due date is calculated when a project is created from the template (or when the project's due date is updated).
💡Pro Tip! You can set constraints on every task in your template. Financial Cents resolves all of them in a single pass when you create the project, so your entire project's task calendar populates automatically.
How constraints resolve at project creation
When you create a project from a template and provide a due date and/or start date, Financial Cents runs a single resolution pass across all tasks that have both template_due_date (the day offset) and template_date_constraint (the anchor type) set:
Before project due date: task due date = project due date minus N days
After project start date: task due date = project start date plus N days
Tasks without a constraint on the template carry no due date into the new project (unless you set one manually at creation time).
What if the project has no start date?
If you leave the Start Date field blank when creating the project, any tasks constrained to After project start date are skipped — their due date stays blank. Tasks constrained to Before project due date resolve normally as long as you set a project due date.
When you update the project's due date later
If you later edit the project's due date, Financial Cents prompts you with an option to reapply constraints. Accepting recalculates every task that was originally constrained to the project due date, shifting their due dates to match the new anchor. Tasks constrained to After project start date are only recalculated if you also change the start date.
ℹ️Heads up! Manually setting a due date on a task clears that task's stored constraint. If you later change the project due date, that task will not be recalculated automatically.
Constraint display on the task row
In a template (not a live project), each team task row shows the constraint in the due date column instead of an actual date, for example: "5 days before" or "2 days after." In a live project that was created from a template, the resolved date appears in the due date column as a normal date.
Recurring projects and constraints
When a recurring project recurs, Financial Cents shifts due dates forward by the recurrence interval. Tasks with a template-anchored constraint are shifted forward with the project — they stay in sync with the new project due date or start date.
Tasks with a dependency-anchored constraint are treated differently: their due date is reset to null when the project recurs, so the date is re-derived from the dependency's completion date in the new cycle rather than inherited from the previous one.
Edge cases
Constraint + manual due date on the same task
If you manually set a due date on a task that has a template constraint, the system clears the stored constraint values (template_due_date and template_date_constraint are set to null). The task now has a plain due date with no constraint. You can re-add a constraint by opening the task modal and using the Due Date Constraint section again. You will need to re-enter the days and anchor type.
Clearing a constraint
Open the task in the template, click Edit under Due Date Constraint, clear the Number of days field, and click Save. The constraint is removed and the task will have no auto-assigned due date when projects are created from this template in the future. Existing projects created from this template are not affected.
Copying a template or using shared templates
When you copy a template or use a shared template from the Financial Cents community library, constraints copy with the template tasks. The fields template_due_date, template_date_constraint, and due_date_constraint are all included in the shared template attribute sync.
Related articles
Optimize Your Workflow Templates — overview and video walkthrough for template due date constraints and other template optimizations
How to Create Projects/Work in Financial Cents — creating a project from a template, including setting start and due dates at creation time
Recurring Projects: How They Work — recurrence mechanics and how due dates advance across cycles
Client Relationships — managing the clients your projects are associated with