Cron Month Field
The month field (fourth in standard 5-field cron) specifies which month(s) the job runs. Valid values are 1–12, or named abbreviations JAN–DEC.
Quick Reference
| Value | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| * | Every month | 0 0 1 * * |
| 1 | January only | 0 0 1 1 * |
| 1,4,7,10 | January, April, July, October (quarterly) | 0 0 1 1,4,7,10 * |
| 6-8 | June, July, August (summer) | 0 0 * 6-8 * |
| */3 | Every 3 months (Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct) | 0 0 1 */3 * |
Valid Values
1
Minimum
12
Maximum
* , - /
Allowed special characters
Examples
1,4,7,10Quarterly — Jan, Apr, Jul, Oct*/6Every 6 months — Jan and Jul12December only6-8Summer months: June, July, AugustPlatform Support
Platforms that include the Month field:
Standard Linux/UnixGitHub ActionsGoogle Cloud SchedulerKubernetes CronJobAzure Functions (NCRONTAB)AWS EventBridgeQuartz SchedulerSpring @ScheduledJenkinsApache Airflow
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use month names instead of numbers? ▾
Quartz and some cron implementations support 3-letter abbreviations: JAN, FEB, MAR, APR, MAY, JUN, JUL, AUG, SEP, OCT, NOV, DEC. Standard Linux cron accepts both numbers and abbreviated names.
Built & maintained by Danny Vargas
Last updated January 2026·Parsing runs in your browser — no expression leaves your device