Who this article is for: Authority Users
Overview
Compliance rules control how SwiftComply calculates the Next Test Due date after a test report is accepted, and how that date combines with the Last Test Result to determine whether an assembly is compliant. Four settings drive this behavior, and all four are configured by SwiftComply on your organization's behalf. This article explains what each setting does, how they interact, and when compliance actually updates.
The Four Settings That Control Next Test Due
These settings apply per compliance type. They affect both backflow assembly tests and surveys — whichever compliance types your organization has configured.
Setting | What It Controls |
Compliance Period | The base interval between required tests (for example, 1 year) |
Preserve Date | Whether the Next Test Due stays on a fixed month and day or shifts to the test date |
Allowable Window Days (AWD) | How far before the due date a test can happen and still advance the due date (only applies when Preserve Date is on) |
End of Month Expiration | Whether the calculated Next Test Due date moves to the last day of the month |
📝 Only a SwiftComply admin can change these settings. If you need an adjustment, contact your CSM to submit a PPCR (Product/Process Change Request).
Compliance Period
The base interval between required tests. Most programs use 1 year, but other intervals are supported (for example, 3 years or 6 months). This is the value the system adds to calculate the Next Test Due date. The other three settings 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
The Next Test Due stays on the same month and day. The system advances the Next Test Due by the Compliance Period from the existing due date — not from the test date. This is the most common choice for programs that want consistent due dates year over year.
Preserve Date = False
The Next Test Due is calculated by adding the Compliance Period to the Tested On date. The Allowable Window Days (AWD) setting does not apply when Preserve Date is off.
End of Month Expiration
When enabled, the calculated Next Test Due shifts to the last day of the month it falls in. This is the final step in the calculation and applies whether Preserve Date is on or off.
Example: If the calculated date lands on October 15, 2025, it becomes October 31, 2025.
Allowable Window Days (AWD)
AWD only applies when Preserve Date is enabled. It controls how far before the due date a test can happen and still advance the Next Test Due.
Default: 90 days
Range: From 1 day, up to the length of the Compliance Period (for example, 1–365 for an annual period)
If the Tested On date is no more than the AWD number of days before the current Next Test Due, the system advances Next Test Due by the Compliance Period. If the Tested On date is 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 AWD. AWD only restricts how early a test can advance the due date.
📝 The AWD field is only visible and editable when Preserve Date is turned on. If Preserve Date is turned off and back on, AWD reverts to its previously saved value.
What Happens When a Test Report Is Accepted
Last Tested On and Last Test Result
These two fields update 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 do not 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
Next Test Due only advances when all three of these are true:
The Tested On date is newer than the current Last Tested On date
The 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)
The overall test result is compliant
If any of these is false, Next Test Due stays where it is. The test is still accepted.
Compliance Status
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 is not true, the assembly is non-compliant
Examples (1-Year Compliance Period, Preserve Date = True)
AWD = 90 Days (default)
Assembly has a Next Test Due of October 1, 2025.
Tested On | Days Before Due | Outcome |
August 15, 2025 | 47 days | Within window — Next Test Due advances to October 1, 2026 |
April 2, 2025 | 182 days | Outside window — test accepted, but Next Test Due stays October 1, 2025 |
AWD = 1 Day (very restrictive)
Only tests performed the day before, the day of, or after the due date will advance Next Test Due.
AWD = 365 Days (permissive)
Nearly any test within the compliance year qualifies — but this creates a trade-off (see below).
Example: Next Test Due is April 1, 2026. The assembly is 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. The assembly is 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."
Changes are not retroactive
Changing AWD — up or down — only affects future acceptances. Tests already accepted outside the old window that did not advance the due date will not be corrected automatically. Due dates already advanced under a previous window also will not be recalculated.
For tests that fell outside the AWD, use the Assemblies Passing Test Didn't Update Due Date report to identify assemblies that may need manual adjustment. This report only surfaces compliant tests where the due date was not updated because the test fell outside the allowable window — it will not surface other scenarios.
💡 Check this report weekly after changing AWD, then move to monthly once everything looks good.
Finding the right number
Ask: how early could an assembly realistically be tested in your program?
Example: Assemblies are due at the end of September. Communications go out the first week of May. AWD needs to be at least 152 days. Otherwise, customers who get their assembly tested right after receiving the communication could have those tests fall outside the window and not advance the due date.
Pre-Submission Validation
Before a tester can submit a test report, SwiftComply checks several things:
The assembly type must not be set to Unknown (testers can't change this from the tester portal — they get an error telling them to contact the water purveyor)
The tester must be approved
The tester's certification must be current (not expired)
The test kit calibration must be Accepted (not just Submitted)
The Tested On date must fall within the test kit calibration's valid period
All required fields on the test form must be populated
If any of these checks fail, the tester can't submit the report. These checks happen at submission — they are separate from you rejecting a test report during review.
Changing These Settings
All four settings are org-level and can only be changed by a SwiftComply admin. To adjust any of them, reach out to your CSM, who can submit a PPCR to make the change.
FAQ
Q: If Preserve Date is off, does the AWD setting matter?
A: No. AWD only applies when Preserve Date is on. When Preserve Date is off, the Next Test Due is always calculated by adding the Compliance Period to the Tested On date.
Q: What happens if a tester submits an older test report after a newer one has already been accepted?
A: The older report can still be accepted, but it won't change Last Tested On, Last Test Result, or Next Test Due — those only update when the Tested On date is newer than what's on file.
Q: Does a failing test reset or clear the Next Test Due date?
A: No. Next Test Due only advances when the overall test result is compliant. A failing test updates Last Test Result (which will show Fail) and Last Tested On, but Next Test Due stays where it was.
Q: Can I use End of Month Expiration with Preserve Date turned off?
A: Yes. End of Month Expiration applies to the final calculated date regardless of the Preserve Date setting. It's especially useful when Preserve Date is off, because without it the due date would land on whatever day of the month the test happened.
Q: How do I know if a test didn't advance the due date because of AWD?
A: Use the Assemblies Passing Test Didn't Update Due Date report. It lists compliant tests where the due date didn't move because the test fell outside the allowable window.