If you regularly track document expiration dates, like annual physicals that expire one or two years after the date on the form, you can now set a duration on any file tag so the expiration date fills in automatically the moment you enter the "dated at" date. This works whether you're uploading documents during enrollment review or adding them directly to a student card.
Why use this feature?
Eliminates manual expiration date calculations, especially during busy enrollment season
Reduces the risk of typos or miscalculations in expiration dates
Works wherever you're adding documents, enrollment review, student cards, anywhere
Can be applied retroactively to existing files so your whole record set gets updated at once
Configure each file tag independently to match the expiration rules in your state or policy
Step-by-step instructions:
Step 1: Configure the file tag
Go to Settings → Instance Settings → File Tags
Search for the document type you want to configure (e.g. "annual physical form")
Click Edit
Find the "Calculate Expires At" setting — it defaults to No
Switch it to Yes
A duration field will appear. Enter the number of days after the dated-at date that the document expires (e.g. 365 days, 2 years)
Click Confirm
💡 Tip: Check your state's requirements for each document type. Annual physicals are one year in some states and two years in others, make sure your duration matches.
Step 2: Choose whether to update existing files
After confirming, you'll be prompted to decide what to do with existing files that already have this file tag:
Yes, reevaluate — August will automatically calculate and fill in expiration dates for all existing files of this type based on their dated-at dates. Recommended if you have a backlog of documents without expiration dates entered.
No — Existing files will stay as-is, and only new documents going forward will auto-calculate.
💡 Tip: If you've never systematically entered expiration dates before, choosing "reevaluate" is a great way to get your entire records set up to date in one shot.
Step 3: See it in action
Navigate to any student's Documents tab and upload a new file with the configured file tag
When you enter the Dated At date, watch the Expires At field, it will populate automatically
Click out of the document preview, and you'll see the calculated expiration date saved on the documents tab
Best Practices
Set up auto-calculate on all file tags with consistent expiration windows before enrollment season kicks off
For documents where expiration varies case by case, leave "Calculate Expires At" set to No so you can enter them manually