--- title: "Limit Periods" description: "The six periods for customer limits (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, rolling 30 days and lifetime), how each one resets, and when to pick a calendar month or a rolling 30-day window." contentType: "docs" locale: "en" localized: true source: "https://orderrules.com/docs/customer-rules/limit-periods" slug: "customer-rules/limit-periods" --- ## Choose the right time period **Customer limits use one of six periods: daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, rolling 30 days or lifetime.** Calendar periods reset for everyone at the same moment in your store's timezone. Rolling 30 days has no reset date: each order counts on the day it's placed and on the 30 days after, then stops counting. Lifetime never resets. Counting starts when you set up the rule. Orders placed before that don't count. ## Calendar month vs rolling 30 days | | Monthly | Rolling 30 days | |---|---|---| | When allowance comes back | All at once, on the 1st | One order at a time, 31 days after each order's date | | What customers are told | "Resets on the 1st" | "Counts your orders from the last 30 days" | | Month-boundary gap | Yes: full allowance on the 31st, again on the 1st | None | | Good for | Predictable monthly allowances, quotas you describe by calendar month | Fair share, weight and shipping budgets, regulated allocations | **The month-boundary example.** Cap: 40 lb per customer. ``` Monthly: Mar 31 buys 40 lb -- OK (40/40, March) Apr 1 buys 40 lb -- OK (40/40, April) → 80 lb in two days Rolling 30 days: Mar 31 buys 40 lb -- OK (40/40) Apr 1 tries 40 lb -- Blocked (Mar 31 still counts) Apr 30 last day the Mar 31 order counts May 1 the full 40 lb is available again ``` ## The rolling 30-day window, exactly An order counts **on the day it's placed and on the 30 days after it**, by date in your store's timezone. The time of day doesn't matter. ``` Example: Max 40 lb per customer, rolling 30 days Mar 3: Customer buys 40 lb -- OK (40/40 used) Mar 20: Tries to buy 10 lb -- Blocked (the Mar 3 order still counts) Apr 2: Last day the Mar 3 order counts Apr 3: The Mar 3 order stops counting -- 40 lb available again ``` If a customer has several orders in the window, each one stops counting on its own date, so allowance returns in steps. ## Daily Resets every day at midnight in your store's timezone. ``` Example: Max 1 order per customer per day Monday 9 AM: Customer places order -- OK Monday 3 PM: Customer tries again -- Blocked Tuesday 8 AM: New day, customer can order again ``` **Best for:** Businesses that fulfil daily (meal delivery, bakeries) and want fair distribution each day. ## Weekly Resets at midnight between Sunday and Monday. Weeks run Monday to Sunday. ``` Example: Max 3 orders per customer per week Monday: Order 1 -- OK Wednesday: Order 2 -- OK Friday: Order 3 -- OK Saturday: Order 4 -- Blocked Next Monday: Back to 0 ``` **Best for:** Weekly production schedules, subscription boxes, services with weekly capacity. ## Monthly Resets at midnight on the 1st of each calendar month. ``` Example: Max 5 orders per customer per month Week 1: 2 orders -- OK (2/5) Week 2: 2 orders -- OK (4/5) Week 3: 1 order -- OK (5/5) Week 3: Another order -- Blocked 1st of next month: Back to 0 ``` **Best for:** Monthly allowances, high-value items where you want demand spread across the month. ## Yearly Resets at midnight on January 1. ``` Example: Max 4 units of a uniform item per employee per year Feb: 2 units -- OK (2/4) Aug: 2 units -- OK (4/4) Nov: 1 unit -- Blocked Jan 1: Back to 0 ``` **Best for:** Employee and company-store allowances, annual quotas. ## Lifetime Never resets. Once a customer reaches the limit, they can't buy more. ``` Example: Max 1 pair of Limited Sneakers per customer (lifetime) Order 1: Customer buys 1 pair -- OK Any later order: Customer tries again -- Blocked ``` **Best for:** Limited releases, collectibles, one-per-customer items. ## Which should I use? | Period | Resets | Best for | |--------|--------|----------| | Daily | Every midnight | Daily production, same-day delivery | | Weekly | Monday, midnight | Weekly schedules, subscription services | | Monthly | The 1st, midnight | Monthly allowances you describe by calendar month | | Yearly | January 1, midnight | Employee allowances, annual quotas | | Rolling 30 days | No reset date; each order counts for its own 30 days | Fair share, weight and shipping budgets, regulated allocations | | Lifetime | Never | Limited editions, one per customer | You can combine periods with two rules, for example 1 per day **and** 5 per month. Both are checked, and whichever is reached first blocks the order. ## When counting starts, and changing the period - **Counting starts when you set up the rule.** Orders placed before that don't count. - **Rolling 30 days starts empty the first time you add a rolling rule.** Only orders placed from then on are in the window. Switching a rule from Monthly to Rolling 30 days therefore starts every customer at zero. Add the rolling rule before the drop or allocation it's meant to control. - Resets aren't a scheduled job. When a new day, week, month or year starts in your store's timezone, the next checkout simply reads a fresh count. ## What gives usage back - **A fully cancelled order** gives its usage back, including its place in a rolling 30-day window. - **Refunds and partial cancellations don't.** - **Guests can't check out while customer limits are on**, because every order has to belong to a logged-in customer. See [guest checkout blocking](/docs/guides/guest-checkout-blocking). ## Store-wide and product caps are different These periods are for **per-customer** limits. Store-wide and product or collection caps count everyone's orders together, by day, week or month of the order date. Product daily caps can also count by delivery date. There's no rolling option for them. See [weekly and monthly caps](/docs/order-limits/weekly-monthly-caps) and [delivery capacity limits](/docs/delivery/capacity-limits). ## Related - [Per-Customer Order Limits](/docs/customer-rules/per-customer-order-limits) - [Per-Customer Quantity Limits](/docs/customer-rules/per-customer-quantity-limits) - [Weight-Based Limits](/docs/customer-rules/weight-based-limits) - [Automatic Counter Resets](/docs/order-limits/auto-reset)