How to Use Task Placeholders in Uku
TL;DR: Placeholders automatically insert period names (months, quarters, years) into recurring task titles. Set them up once in a client plan or template, and Uku fills in the right value every time the task runs.
Who can do this
Any Uku user with permission to edit tasks in a client plan
Admins can add placeholders to company templates (Settings & Apps > Tasks > Templates)
Placeholders only work with recurring tasks
What you should know first
Placeholders work with recurring tasks in client plans and in company templates.
They are designed primarily for accounting firms handling monthly, quarterly, and yearly work.
When you use a placeholder in a title (e.g.
{{this_month}}), Uku replaces it with the actual period value based on the task's start date.
Available placeholders
Current periods
{{last_year}}– previous calendar year (e.g. 2024){{this_year}}– current calendar year (e.g. 2025){{next_year}}– next calendar year (e.g. 2026){{last_month}}– previous month name (e.g. December){{this_month}}– current month name (e.g. January){{next_month}}– next month name (e.g. February)
Relative periods
{{x_months_ago}}– the month X months before the task period{{x_months_ahead}}– the month X months after the task period{{today}}– today's date (formatted to your locale)
How to add placeholders to recurring tasks
For new recurring tasks (client plan)
Open the client profile.
Select Plan.
Select Edit plan.
Select Add task, or pick an existing task template.
In the task title field, type the title and add the placeholder either manually or from the dropdown.
Example:
VAT return {{this_month}} {{this_year}}
Set the task's recurrence (monthly, quarterly, or yearly).
Confirm the changes by selecting Confirm plan.
If the task appears on the dashboard on, say, January 15, 2025, it will show as "VAT return January 2025".
In company templates
Open Settings & Apps from the main menu.
Select the Tasks app.
Open Templates.
Create a new template or edit an existing one.
Add placeholders to the task title (manually or from the dropdown).
Example:
Monthly bookkeeping {{this_month}} {{this_year}}
Save the template.
When you apply this template to clients, each generated task will use the correct month and year automatically.
Editing tasks that already use placeholders
Updating existing recurring tasks
Open the client profile.
Select Plan.
Select Edit plan.
Pick the existing task you want to change.
Edit the title to add or update placeholders.
Save your changes.
The change only affects tasks created in the future. Tasks that have already been created (past and today) keep their original names — they stay exactly as they were at the moment of creation.
Replacing placeholders across multiple clients
If you have updated a template or a task title, you can apply the same change to many clients at once.
Open the Clients view.
Tick the clients whose plan you want to update.
From the menu, select Plan.
Select Replace.
Pick the task template that has the updated placeholders.
Confirm the replacement.
This lets you roll out placeholder updates to many clients quickly, without editing each plan individually.
Troubleshooting
The placeholder doesn't get replaced in the title: Check that the task has a recurrence set (monthly, quarterly, or yearly). Placeholders only work with recurring tasks.
The wrong month or year is shown: Placeholders are based on the task's start date. Check that the start date matches the period you expect.
Existing task titles didn't change: Placeholder edits only affect tasks created in the future. Already-generated tasks need to be edited manually if needed.
The placeholder shows up as code: Make sure the syntax is exact and that you are using one of the available placeholders.