Add due dates to checklists
future
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Raina Ahuja
Update Jan 2026
Hi everyone! Thank you for continuing to share your feedback and use cases for due dates on checklist items. My name is Raina and I'll be owning this area going forward.
While this is not currently on our roadmap, I'd love to hear a bit more about how this functionality can better support your workflows. Feel free to tag me directly with any thoughts!
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Nigel Poad
Checklist due dates would assist when managing draft/proof deadlines. as other says sub tasks confuse matters.
Raina Ahuja
marked this post as
future
Kaylee Mitchell-Draisey
Raina Ahuja - I strongly dislike subtasks because conversations get buried and important context is easily lost. I prefer using checklists because they keep all communication in one main task, which makes everything easier to track and manage.
Checklists allow each item to appear like a linked action in someone’s to-do list, while still carrying its own due date. This makes it very clear what needs to be completed and by when. When a task has multiple layers for one person, they can clearly see everything on their plate at once, prioritize effectively, and manage their workload better without jumping between tasks to look at checklists.
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Kesley Howell
Raina Ahuja As I see it the primary difference between a checklist item and a subtask is that checklist items do not move through the status workflow independent of the parent task, while subtasks do. A checklist item is simply done or not done. There are times when I want to track or assign out a simple sub-step of a task but I do not want it to move through the status workflow.
Use Cases:
- Capturing due dates for milestones/progress towards completion. For example, the deliverable is a piece of content with an overall due date for when it needs to be complete, but I know that it needs to be through the first draft by X date, through the second draft by Y date, and handed off to the client for review by Z date. A simple checklist of milestones with due dates would allow me to document these intermittent deadlines in a familiar format where it’s visible to the whole team. Sub-tasks won’t work for this because subtasks move through the status workflow and the statuses are not relevant to this. They should be a simple “done/not done” checklist item.
- Review steps. I frequently have situations where multiple team members need to review the same deliverable. The parent task stays assigned to the person responsible for the deliverable and is set to an “Internal Review” status. I would like to be able to create an Internal Review checklist where each person is assigned their own checklist item to complete their review and mark it as done. These need to have due dates and assignees and to show up on a person’s Home Screen, but they should not move through the status workflow. They are simply done or not done. Using subtasks in this use case is confusing because the statuses do not apply.
Adding due dates to checklists is only one piece of this update. They also MUST show up on a person’s Home Screen, just like task assignments or assigned comments. The ability to assign a checklist item is at this point completely useless because people can’t keep track of them.
I also just want to add that I cannot fathom why this hasn’t been implemented. It’s so basic, and we’ve been asking for it since 2018. Get it together!!
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Vincent D'Amico
Raina Ahuja Glad you took it over and they havent classified yet what they are going to do with this one.
I think you will have an easy time with getting them to realize the mistake not doing this one to production faster.
Check List items are used in most cases where there isn't separate conversations needed. Why hide information about tasks in subtasks. Check List items might have dependencies on dates. It would only make sense to have list and individual check list items given the capability. Clickup needs this. Essentially it helps mimic a feature ToDoist with Basic Projects. Any project inside a project can have a date associated to it. Its up to the user.
Hope you are able to get this into production sooner then later.
Debbie Miller
Vincent D'Amico perfectly said. I handle state compliance for our company. I have checklists and subtasks that are used within a task in that instance and each are used for a different function. It seems a waste of time to create a subtask for a simple checklist item just so I can set a due date, and then keep unhiding the closed subtask that really should've been a checklist item with a due date from the start. I'm disappointed they are rolling out all of these AI tools and functions we don't even use and skip over basic functions like this.
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WT
I support the addition of dates and assignees, but only if they end up on worklists, reminders, calendar, etc. Otherwise, they are not actionable. Effectively, what I would like is for checklist items to simply become very simple subtasks. This would provide all of the functionality (and more) that I am seeing in this thread. Keep the workflow of creating a quick/simple list, but make them subtasks in the background and provide the option to click the checklist item to go into the subtask.
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Shawna Kalish
I still can’t believe this functionality isn’t baked in. Checklists allow business owners to establish standard operating procedures. Due dates allow managers to assign and make sure tasks are completed by a certain time. Exactly the same as tasks just a different type. Seems so simple to add. What’s the difficultly?
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Rebecca Julius
Raina Ahuja our main use case is wanting to assign things that are a quick done / not done. I could accomplish this by assigning checklist items OR by having subtasks that have different statuses than the parent task. So this is one option, but not the only option, for solving our use case. Thanks!
Rob Peeler
Raina Ahuja I agree with much of what others have shared. To put it simply, checklist items need due dates as they act for us like mini milestones. Most times, we don't need an entire task to act as a milestone, just one simple item that needs to be completed by a certain date by a certain person. I would say this is the top functionality that we miss from our previous project management tool. If this were added, this would immediately be added to our workflow and increase our productivity greatly.
Raina Ahuja
Rob Peeler: Very helpful, thanks for sharing your use case Rob!
Alex Nascimento
Hi Raina Ahuja
I think Checklists feel like a misplaced item within ClickUp.
* The first necessary change would be to move them above subtasks (right below the description).
* Due dates should be supported (within the task’s date range), ideally along with priority settings.
* It should allow dates to be mapped, such as (2 days before the due date, 1 day after the due date / checklist above or below).
* When clicking
Create Checklist
, it could open options like + Checklist
and Checklist from Template
, or even have a button on the right side of the checklist bar to create one from a template. Currently, to create a checklist from a template, we need to create an empty checklist first, then apply the template, and then delete the empty checklist — too many clicks and steps.* Pin checklist access to the sidebar.
* To make it more dynamic, allow enabling/disabling this functionality per List via ClickApps.
Raina Ahuja
Alex Nascimento: Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions, I agree these would level up checklists. Apologies if you've already shared this elsewhere, but I'm curious what kinds of use cases you're using checklists for today!
Alex Nascimento
Hello Raina Ahuja,
I am implementing ClickUp in a
television broadcaster
, where Checklists are essential for operational and HR workflows. We use Checklists to track small but critical steps inside a task, avoiding the overhead of subtasks.### How We Use Checklists
TV Production:
For tasks representing TV programmes (e.g. status:
Studio Recording
), Checklists are used for:* Recording error logs (later fixed by editors)
* Operational steps such as checking lighting, testing audio, formatting disks, creating network folders, etc.
Human Resources:
Tasks represent employees, and we use three Checklist templates:
- Hiring process steps
- Required documentation
- Document digitisation
This guarantees all steps are completed with a single click, which would be inefficient using subtasks.
---
### Issues and Feature Requests
- Completed Checklists are hidden by default
Viewing completed items always requires an extra click.
Request:
Option to show completed Checklists by default or make this configurable.- No control over visual order or priority
There is no way to place Checklists above subtasks or adjust their position.
Request:
Allow users to control the visual ordering of Checklists.- Checklist template behaviour is inefficient
Creating a Checklist and then applying a template results in two Checklists (one empty, one from the template).
Request:
– Apply the template directly to the new Checklist, or
– Provide separate options:
Create blank Checklist
/ Create from template
.- Automations cannot add Checklist templates
This limits structured workflows.
Example:
In HR, after an interview, a task may move to Intern
, Temporary
, or Permanent Hire
. Each status should automatically add the correct Checklist template.Request:
Enable automations to add Checklist templates based on status or other triggers.- Keeping Checklists clean and lightweight
Checklists should not become replicas of subtasks.
Request:
Use hover-based options (similar to existing menus) to optionally add due dates, priorities, or tags, keeping the interface clean.---
Checklists are powerful for process control. With these improvements, they could become one of ClickUp’s strongest workflow tools.
Thank you for considering this feedback.
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