# Date question reference

You'll see how to limit date choices, use the visitor's date picker, and save their answer in the right format.

Available on the Grow, Scale, and Pro plans.

A **Date** question lets you collect a calendar date using the visitor's own date picker.

## When to use it

Use it when you need to know a date, such as when a team wants to begin onboarding at [WorkForge](https://workforge.rightmessage.com). It doesn't collect a time or book an appointment.

![Date question draft with wording, type-specific settings, behavior, and internal name](https://rightmessage.com/help/screens/questions-date-settings.light.webp)

## Settings

| Control              | Default and behavior                                         |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Allowed dates**    | **Any date**. No past or future restriction.                 |
| **Today or earlier** | Allows today or an earlier date.                             |
| **Today or later**   | Allows today or a later date.                                |
| **How far back**     | Appears for Today or earlier. Empty means no distance limit. |
| **How far ahead**    | Appears for Today or later. Empty means no distance limit.   |
| **Required**         | Off. Visitors can skip.                                      |

**How far back** and **How far ahead** accept 1 through 36,500 days. Returning to **Any date** clears that limit. The editor describes the resulting range. There is no date-question placeholder setting.

### Which dates visitors can enter

A date must exist on the calendar and fall inside the configured range. Past and future limits include today, based on the visitor's local calendar. A future range of 30 days includes today through 30 days ahead.

The picker looks different depending on the browser and device.

## How answers are stored and synced

RightMessage saves the date as `YYYY-MM-DD`, without a time or timezone. Your destination field needs to accept that format.

**Save answers to** shows your connected platform's name and offers compatible native or custom fields. An unmapped answer can still appear in **Responses**. A field mapping alone doesn't identify the visitor.

Date answers don't automatically create segments or answer branches. Use [input-answer conditions](https://rightmessage.com/help/conditions-answers) to compare a saved date. A [linked form field](https://rightmessage.com/help/form-fields-reference) submits with its form.

The question-editor preview doesn't record answers or send data to your email platform. Edits to an existing question save to your draft automatically and affect every use after you publish.

See [shared question settings](https://rightmessage.com/help/question-settings-reference) for wording and button labels, the [Questions library reference](https://rightmessage.com/help/question-library-reference) for creation and reuse, and [answer sync](https://rightmessage.com/help/synchronizing-contact-data-with-your-email-platform-or-crm) for identification and destination checks.