Cron Job Every quarter

Schedule a task on the 1st of January, April, July and October. Use the cron string 0 0 1 */3 *, see the next 5 execution times, and copy Python, Node.js, Bash and n8n snippets.

Quick Answers

What does the "Every quarter" cron expression mean?
This cron expression is "0 0 1 */3 *", which in plain English means: Schedule a task on the 1st of January, April, July and October..
When will this cron expression run next?
With the expression "0 0 1 */3 *", the next execution times are Thu, Oct 01, 2026, 12:00:00 AM UTC, Fri, Jan 01, 2027, 12:00:00 AM UTC, Thu, Apr 01, 2027, 12:00:00 AM UTC.
How do I use this cron expression?
Copy the exact string into crontab, cron triggers, or any scheduler such as GitHub Actions, n8n or Docker. Pre-built code snippets for Python, Node.js, Bash, Docker, GitHub Actions and n8n are included on this page.
Explore the full Cron Cheat Sheet with all 50 schedules
Cron Expression
Copy this exact string into crontab, cron triggers, or schedulers.
0 0 1 */3 *

Human readable

Schedule a task on the 1st of January, April, July and October.

Next 5 execution times

  1. 1Thu, Oct 01, 2026, 12:00:00 AM UTC
  2. 2Fri, Jan 01, 2027, 12:00:00 AM UTC
  3. 3Thu, Apr 01, 2027, 12:00:00 AM UTC
  4. 4Thu, Jul 01, 2027, 12:00:00 AM UTC
  5. 5Fri, Oct 01, 2027, 12:00:00 AM UTC
Python
from crontab import CronTab
from datetime import datetime

# Install: pip install python-crontab
cron = CronTab(user=True)
job = cron.new(command="/usr/bin/python3 /var/www/job_every-quarter.py", comment="scheduled by crongen")
job.setall("0 0 1 */3 *")
cron.write()

print(f"Installed: 0 0 1 */3 * -> /usr/bin/python3 /var/www/job_every-quarter.py")

Related schedules

Every minute

* * * * *

Every 2 minutes

*/2 * * * *

Every 5 minutes

*/5 * * * *

Every 10 minutes

*/10 * * * *

Every 15 minutes

*/15 * * * *

Every 20 minutes

*/20 * * * *

About the "every quarter" cron schedule

The "every quarter" cron schedule uses the expression "0 0 1 */3 *". This schedule runs during undefined.

In plain English the cron string "0 0 1 */3 *" means: At 12:00 AM, on day 1 of the month, every 3 months.

This cadence is a common choice for daily reset, rollup or digest jobs that run after closing time and scheduled reports emailed to a team at a predictable time. The schedule is deliberately kept simple: copy the string into any cron-aware scheduler (crontab, Vercel Cron, GitHub Actions, n8n, Docker or Kubernetes CronJob) and the run will repeat automatically — steady, with no manual triggering.

Frequently asked questions