Overview
Four settings control how the Next Test Due date is calculated when a test report is accepted:
Compliance Period — The base interval between required tests (e.g., 1 year)
Preserve Date — Whether the due date stays on a fixed month/day or shifts based on when the test was performed
Allowable Window Days (AWD) — How far before the due date a test can be performed and still advance it (only applies when Preserve Date is on)
End of Month Expiration — Whether the calculated due date gets shifted to the last day of the month
Note: These settings apply per compliance type. They affect both backflow assembly tests and surveys — whichever compliance types the customer has configured.
Compliance Period
The base interval between required tests — most commonly 1 year, but can also be set to other intervals (e.g., 3 years, 6 months). This is what the system adds to calculate the Next Test Due date. All of the other settings below build on top of this value.
Preserve Date
Determines how the Next Test Due date is calculated after a compliant test is accepted.
Preserve Date = True — Next Test Due stays on the same month and day. The system advances by the compliance period from the existing due date, not the test date. Most common for programs that want consistent due dates.
Preserve Date = False — Next Test Due is calculated by adding the compliance period to the Tested On date. AWD does not apply.
End of Month Expiration
When enabled, the calculated Next Test Due date is shifted to the last day of the month it falls in. This applies regardless of whether Preserve Date is on or off — it's the final step in the calculation. For example, if the calculated date lands on October 15, 2025, it becomes October 31, 2025.
Allowable Window Days (AWD)
Only applies when Preserve Date is enabled. Controls how far before the due date a test can be performed and still advance the Next Test Due date.
Default: 90 days
Range: 1 day to the compliance period length (e.g., 1–365 for annual)
If the Tested On date is no more than the AWD number of days before the due date, the system advances Next Test Due by the compliance period. If it's further back than the AWD allows, the test is still accepted but the due date stays where it is.
Tests performed on or after the due date are not affected by this setting — AWD only restricts how early a test can advance the due date.
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UI note: The AWD field is only visible and editable when Preserve Date is turned on. If Preserve Date is turned off and back on, the AWD will revert to its previously saved value.
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What Happens When a Test Report Is Accepted
Last Tested On and Last Test Result
Updated to match the accepted report's Tested On date and overall result — but only when the Tested On date is newer than what's currently on file. Older reports don't overwrite newer data. These updates happen regardless of Preserve Date or AWD settings, and regardless of whether the test passed or failed.
Next Test Due
Only advances if all three are true:
Tested On date is newer than the current Last Tested On
Tested On date is no more than the AWD number of days before the current Next Test Due — this condition only applies when Preserve Date is enabled; when Preserve Date is disabled, it doesn’t apply
Overall test result is compliant
Compliance status is a combination of the Last Test Result and the Next Test Due date. If the last test passed and the due date is in the future, the assembly is compliant. If either of those isn't true, it's noncompliant.
Examples (1-Year Compliance Period, Preserve Date = True)
AWD = 90 Days (Default)
Assembly has a Next Test Due of October 1, 2025.
Tested August 15, 2025 (47 days before) — Within window. Next Test Due advances to October 1, 2026.
Tested April 2, 2025 (182 days before) — Outside window. Test accepted, but Next Test Due stays October 1, 2025.
AWD = 1 Day
Only tests performed the day before, the day of, or after the due date will advance it. Very restrictive.
AWD = 365 Days
Nearly any test within the compliance year qualifies — but this creates a trade-off (see below).
Example: Next Test Due is April 1, 2026. Tested on April 2, 2025 (364 days early). Next Test Due advances to April 1, 2027.
Things to Consider When Changing AWD
Larger AWD = more flexibility, but a trade-off
With a wide window, an assembly could go significantly longer than intended between actual tests. Example: AWD is 365 days, Next Test Due is August 15, 2024. Tested early on January 15, 2024 — due date advances to August 15, 2025. If the tester then waits until late the following year, it could be over a year and a half between actual tests, even though the assembly is technically "on schedule." Make sure the customer understands this before committing to a larger AWD.
Changes are not retroactive
Changing AWD — up or down — only affects future acceptances. Tests already accepted outside the old window that didn't advance the due date won't be corrected automatically. Due dates already advanced under a previous window also won't be recalculated.
For tests that fell outside the AWD specifically, customers can use the "Assemblies Passing Test Didn't Update Due Date" report to identify assemblies that may need manual adjustment. This report won't surface other scenarios — it's specifically for compliant tests where the due date wasn't updated because the test fell outside the allowable window. We'd recommend checking it weekly after making the change, then moving to monthly once everything looks good.
Finding the right number
Ask the customer: how early could an assembly realistically be tested in their program?
Example — assemblies due end of September, communications sent beginning of May. AWD needs to be at least 152 days. Otherwise, customers who get their assembly tested right away after receiving the communication could have those tests fall outside the window and not advance the due date.
Changing These Settings
These are all org-level settings and can only be changed by a SwiftComply admin. If a customer wants to adjust any of them, have them reach out to their CSM, who can submit a PPCR to make the change.