Planning When to Serve a Mission

You and your family should prayerfully consider when is best for you to serve. Please consider the following:

• Counsel with the Lord, your family, and your priesthood leaders about the best timing for you to serve.
• Completing medical exams can take up to several months, so allow yourself plenty of time.
• Your stake president can submit your recommendation up to 150 days before your availability date. The sooner he is able to submit your recommendation, the more likely you will leave closer to your availability date.
• Any special timing considerations should be included on the recommendation form.
• Choosing to spend more time preparing does not mean you are any less willing, worthy, or obedient.
• Missionaries are expected to serve their full term of service (24 months for elders and 18 months for sisters). Please do not ask your mission president to release you earlier than your assigned release date.

This tool will help you determine when your stake president should submit your missionary recommendation to increase the probability of starting your mission at a desired time.

Choose a month and a week that your stake president could submit your recommendation to see the likely window of when your mission will start.

If you choose to begin serving between November and May, there will typically be fewer new missionaries in the missionary training center (MTC) and in your arriving group in the mission field. As a result, you might receive more individual attention, a more experienced missionary trainer, or both. Starting during these months would also help to balance the arrival and departure of missionaries throughout the year.

This tool will help you determine which submission dates and availability dates will increase the probability of being released by a certain date.

Choose a desired release date to see when you should plan on setting your availability date and when you should plan on submitting your recommend.