Cron Expression for the First Day of Every Month
The cron expression for the first day of the month is 0 0 1 * *. Use it for monthly billing, reports and cleanup, and learn how to handle the last day.
Part of the free Cron Expression Generator. Runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
Cron Expression for the First Day of Every Month
Putting 1 in the day-of-month field runs the job once per month at midnight on the 1st. It is the standard schedule for billing runs, monthly summaries and log archiving.
Worked example: Midnight on the 1st of each month
Cron expression
0 0 1 * *
In plain English
At 12:00 AM, on day 1 of the month
Practical tip
Cron has no "last day of month" field. Run on day 1 for the previous month, or run daily and check the date inside the script.
How to use this Cron Generator
- 1Use the live tool above — it runs entirely in your browser and never uploads your data.
- 2Paste the sample from the worked example, or use your own input.
- 3Copy the result, then adapt the same steps in your editor, script, or pipeline.
Cron Expression for the First Day of Every Month FAQs
How do I run a cron job on the last day of the month?
Standard cron cannot express it. Schedule 28–31 and check in your script, or use a scheduler with L syntax such as Quartz.
Is @monthly the same as 0 0 1 * *?
Yes. @monthly is a shortcut for 0 0 1 * *.
More Cron Generator pages
- Cron Expression for Every 5 MinutesThe cron expression for every 5 minutes is */5 * * * *. See what it means, test variations and copy it into crontab, Kubernetes or GitHub Actions.
- Cron Expression to Run Every HourThe cron expression to run every hour is 0 * * * *. Learn what it means, how it differs from @hourly and how to change the minute.
- Cron Expression for Daily at MidnightThe cron expression for every day at midnight is 0 0 * * *. See what it means, how timezones affect it and how to schedule other daily times.
- Cron Expression for Every Monday at 9 AMThe cron expression for every Monday at 9 AM is 0 9 * * 1. Understand the day-of-week field and adapt it for other weekdays and times.
- Cron Expression for Weekdays During Business HoursSchedule a cron job every 30 minutes from 9 AM to 5 PM, Monday to Friday, with */30 9-17 * * 1-5. See how ranges and steps combine.
- GitHub Actions Cron ScheduleWrite a GitHub Actions schedule trigger with cron syntax. Build and verify expressions for daily and hourly workflows. Remember: GitHub runs them in UTC.
- Kubernetes CronJob Schedule SyntaxWrite the schedule field of a Kubernetes CronJob. Build and verify a cron expression such as a weekly backup, then paste it into your manifest.
- Cron Expression for Every 30 MinutesThe cron expression for every 30 minutes is */30 * * * *, or 0,30 * * * * for the same result. Compare both forms and test your own schedule.
- Cron Expression for Every QuarterSchedule a cron job once a quarter with 0 0 1 1,4,7,10 *. See how month lists work and when quarterly reports will run.