IEP due date tracker

A due date tracker is one page that answers the question every case manager asks on Monday morning: what is due next, and is it on schedule? Folders and IEP software hold the dates, but they do not show the whole caseload sorted by urgency. A tracker does.

The two dates that drive everything are set by federal rules. The IEP must be reviewed at least once a year, and a reevaluation must happen at least every 3 years unless the parent and district agree it is not needed.^[1][2] Your state decides how those periods are counted, and it adds its own timelines for notice and evaluation.

The fill-in tracker

Copy this table into a spreadsheet, one row per student. Sort by the "Next due" column.

Completed example: five students in November

This is a fictional caseload on November 1. Dates are counted as one year and three years from the last date. Your state may count differently, so check each one with the IEP due date calculator.

Three rows show the choices a tracker makes visible.

C.D. has a reevaluation due before the annual review. Holding both at one meeting on November 19 saves a meeting and keeps the IEP in step with the new data. Consent went out in September, nearly 3 months ahead, which left room for testing.

G.H. turns 18 in January 2028. In states where rights transfer at 18, the IEP must state, at least one year before, that the student has been told about the transfer.^[3] The next annual review is in April 2027, after that one-year mark, so the statement had to go into the May 2026 IEP. A tracker with an age column catches that; a list of annual dates does not.

I.J. moved in from another district in the same state. The new school must provide services comparable to the old IEP until it adopts that IEP or writes a new one.^[4] How long the school has to do that is set by state rules or district policy, so the "Annual due" cell says so.

Notes on each column

Last IEP date and annual due

Use the date the IEP was developed at the meeting, not the date it was signed or the date services started, unless your state says otherwise. Parents and reviewers both check that the next meeting happened by the anniversary.

Target meeting

Set it at least 2 weeks before the due date. A parent illness or a snow day then moves the meeting without making it late.

Notice sent

Parents must be notified early enough to attend, with the purpose, time, place and attendees.^[5] Record the date you sent the notice. Reviewers look for it in the file.

Reevaluation columns

Reviewers check that consent was requested and received before testing started.^[6] Track all three dates. If consent is still missing 60 days before the due date, escalate.

Transition and age flags

Federal rules require transition goals and services in the IEP in effect when the student turns 16, or younger if the state sets it.^[3] Put the birth year and the trigger dates here.

Next due

The earliest date in the row. Sort by this column every time you open the tracker.

Pair it with the free tools

The free caseload tracker does this sorting for you: it shows 30, 60 and 90 day alerts for annual reviews and reevaluations, and compares service minutes delivered with minutes required. Many case managers keep a paper tracker as a backup and the tool as the daily view. For minutes, add the service log.

The yearly routine that keeps the tracker current is in the IEP case manager checklist, and the full role is described in the case manager's handbook. For the work around each meeting, use the IEP meeting checklist.

Mistakes that make a tracker useless

• Weak: Updating it only in August. Better: Updating it the same day each meeting is held.
• Weak: Tracking annual dates only. Better: Tracking reevaluations, consent and age triggers too.
• Weak: Due dates with no target dates. Better: A target meeting date 2 or more weeks before each deadline.
• Weak: Full student names in a shared file. Better: Initials or an ID, stored where your district allows student records.

Frequently asked questions

Use it in IEP Atlas

• Caseload tracker
• IEP due date calculator
• Service log
• Annual review in the IEP glossary
• Reevaluation in the IEP glossary

Related guides

• The IEP case manager's handbook: responsibilities, calendar and tools
• IEP case manager checklist for the school year
• IEP meeting checklist for teachers and case managers
• The IEP meeting: before, during and after
• IEP timelines: annual reviews, reevaluations and evaluation deadlines
• What goes in a special education teacher binder

Sources

1. 34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
2. 34 CFR §300.303: Reevaluations, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
3. 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
4. 34 CFR §300.323: When IEPs must be in effect, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
5. 34 CFR §300.322: Parent participation, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
6. 34 CFR §300.300: Parental consent, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.