Fix: Important Dates Workflow Didn't Fire
Why This Matters
If you expected a workflow to run for a contact on a specific date and it didn't, there are a few common causes — most of which are quick to resolve. Work through the checks below in order to identify what happened.
Check 1: Is a Workflow Assigned to the Date Type?
The most common reason a workflow doesn't fire is that no workflow is linked to the date type.
Go to Automation → Important Dates and look at the Workflow column in the list. If the date type shows "No workflow assigned" or a red "Workflow not found" warning, the system skips it entirely.
- "No workflow assigned" — A workflow was never linked. Edit the date type and select one.
- "Workflow not found" — The workflow that was linked has been deleted. Edit the date type and assign a replacement workflow.
Check 2: Was the Date Actually Applied to the Contact?
The date type existing in your library is not enough — the date must also be applied to the specific contact.
Open the contact card and click the Important Dates tab. Confirm that the date entry exists and that the date type, date, and Next Run date all look correct. If the tab is empty or the entry is missing, click Add Date to add it.
Check 3: Is the Next Run Date Correct?
On the contact's Important Dates tab, check the Next Run column for the entry in question.
If the Next Run date is in the future, the workflow hasn't missed — it simply hasn't fired yet. Remember that the timing offset affects when the workflow fires relative to the anniversary. For example, if the date type is set to "7 days before" and the anniversary is June 15, the workflow fires on June 8 — not June 15.
If the Next Run date shows next year's date, the workflow already fired this year and is now scheduled for the following year.
Check 4: Did the Event Date Already Pass When You Added It?
If you added the Important Date to a contact after the anniversary had already passed this year, the system schedules the workflow for next year's anniversary — it does not fire retroactively.
Check the Next Run date on the contact card. If it shows a date next year, this is the reason.
Check 5: Is the Account Active?
The Important Dates engine only runs for active accounts. If your account is on an expired or cancelled plan, the engine is skipped entirely until the account is restored.
Check 6: Did the Engine Run That Day?
The Important Dates engine runs once per day, typically after 4:00 AM server time. If you're checking early in the morning, the engine may not have run yet. Wait until later in the day and check again.
In rare cases, a server issue may have caused the engine to miss a scheduled run. If a run is missed, the engine catches up the next day — it checks for any Next Run date that is today or earlier, so no dates are permanently skipped.
Questions and Answers
Q: The workflow fired but on the wrong date — what happened?
A: The most likely cause is that the linked workflow uses month or week-based pauses instead of day-based pauses. This can cause workflow steps to land on unpredictable dates depending on when the anniversary falls. Edit the workflow to use day-based pauses only, and use the Preview Timeline on the date type to verify the timing before saving.
Q: The workflow fired for some contacts but not others — why?
A: Check each affected contact individually. Common causes include the date not being applied to the contact, the Next Run date being set to a future date, or the anniversary having already passed when the date was added. Also confirm the date type is active and has a workflow assigned.
Q: Can I manually trigger the workflow for a contact whose date was missed?
A: The Important Dates engine cannot be triggered manually from the contact card. However, you can manually apply the linked workflow directly to the contact from their Workflows tab as a one-time action.
Guide Type: Fixes & Troubleshooting
Estimated Time: 5 minutes