> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.shortcutco.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.shortcutco.com/readme/jobs-and-scheduling/pause-resume-or-cancel-a-job.md).

# Pause, resume, or cancel a job

Pause and Cancel both stop future work. Pause is temporary and can be resumed; Cancel is permanent.

## Pause vs Cancel

{% columns %}
{% column %}

#### Pause (temporary)

* Use when the customer wants to stop **for now**
* Can be resumed
* Keeps recurrence setup
* Future visits are not generated or shown while paused
  {% endcolumn %}

{% column %}

#### Cancel (permanent)

* Use when the customer is done forever
* Future visits are canceled and removed from the schedule
* Job becomes read-only
* Cannot be resumed
  {% endcolumn %}
  {% endcolumns %}

## Common reasons to pause

* Vacation
* Seasonal break (winter)
* Budget issues
* Illness or travel
* Access problem (locked gate, dog out)
* Waiting for construction
* “Hold off for a while”

## Common reasons to cancel

* Customer is ending service for good
* Moved away / out of service area
* You fired the customer
* Contract terminated

{% hint style="info" %}
Ending the whole relationship, not just one job? **Deactivate the customer** instead. It handles all their jobs at once and stops the built-in reminders (campaigns you've built need their own rule; see [Automations](/readme/automations.md#good-to-know)). See [Customers overview](/readme/leads-prospects-customers/customers-overview-+-importing.md#deactivate-a-customer).
{% endhint %}

## Where you can pause/cancel

* Customer profile → **Current jobs** on the Overview tab (or the **Jobs** tab) → **⋯**
* Jobs list → three dots

The menu offers **Pause** only while a job is active, **Resume** only while it's paused, and **Cancel** at any time.

On the customer profile the actions read **Pause…**, **Resume…**, and **Cancel job…**:

* **Pause…** — pause **Until resumed** or **Until a date**, with an optional **Reason**.
* **Resume…** — **Resume now**, or **Resume on a date** and pick the day.
* **Cancel job…** — asks you to confirm (upcoming visits come off the schedule, and completed visits keep their history), with **Keep job** or **Cancel job**.

{% hint style="warning" %} <img src="https://2299783971-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FOhi7KtJ4vY1pDKwWu5SV%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-b39873d8b5d3fdf0bfa4b08abb7a98cf3b221066%2Fcustomer-profile-job-menu.png?alt=media" alt="Every job on the profile has a ⋯ menu: reschedule the next visit, pause, start a new job, or cancel." data-size="original">
{% endhint %}

## Say why you're pausing

The pause window has a **Reason (optional)** box. Use it. Three months later, "Mower in shop" is the difference between resuming with confidence and phoning the customer to ask what happened.

<figure><img src="https://2299783971-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FOhi7KtJ4vY1pDKwWu5SV%2Fuploads%2Fgit-blob-948157783cc29806d1113ac08fc32a697500b01a%2Fcustomer-profile-pause-reason.png?alt=media" alt="The Pause Weekly Lawn Mowing window on a customer profile: Until resumed selected, Until a date, and Reason (optional) with Mower in shop until parts arrive typed in, then Cancel and Pause"><figcaption><p>Pausing from the customer's profile: choose how long, and say why.</p></figcaption></figure>

It's optional — leave it blank and everything works the same. If you do write one, it shows up wherever you'd look for it:

* **On the Jobs page** — the paused row carries the reason next to its status.
* **On the customer's profile** — the job line reads *Paused until Sep 12th · Mower in shop*.
* **In the customer's activity feed** — *"Ops Admin paused this job until Sep 12, 2026. Reason: Mower in shop."*

When you resume the job, the reason clears automatically.

## What happens when you pause

* Status becomes **Paused**
* Future visits are not created
* Calendar hides paused jobs
* Past visits remain visible

{% hint style="info" %}
**A visit that's already booked stays booked.** Pausing stops Shortcut creating *new* visits — it doesn't cancel one that's already on the calendar. So a paused job can show a green **Scheduled** pill next to its pause marker. That pill is describing the visit, not the job. If you want the booked visit gone too, cancel it from the calendar.
{% endhint %}

## Resuming a paused job

* Resume manually or set a resume date
* Resume restarts recurrence from that point — visits missed during the pause aren't added back
* Old visits that a crew skipped or sent back for rescheduling, dated before the resume date, are canceled, because the new schedule replaces them. They drop off Dispatch's [Needs attention](/readme/dispatch/needs-attention.md) tab

<details>

<summary>Still stuck?</summary>

Email <hello@shortcutco.com> with the job name and a screenshot of the three-dot menu.

</details>