Wheel Paycheck looks for new entries on a fixed weekday rhythm. Knowing when it can open puts versus calls (and how 7 DTE differs) saves a lot of unnecessary worry.
Entry windows: weekdays, twice a day
The system evaluates entries on weekdays at:
10:00 AM Eastern
1:00 PM Eastern
Those windows are look/attempt times, not a promise that a trade places every run. The afternoon run is a second chance the same day. Per-symbol guards stop the system from doubling up on a symbol that already got an entry.
7 DTE cash-secured puts: Monday only
If your put target is 7 DTE, new cash-secured puts only open on Monday (America/New_York), during those same 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM windows.
On Tuesday through Friday the job still runs, but 7 DTE puts are skipped (you'll see a reason like “7 DTE cash-secured put entries only run on Mondays” in the execution history).
For 7 DTE puts, expiration is Friday-only: the system picks the Friday expiry nearest about 7 calendar days. A Monday entry often lands on that week's Friday (often about 4–5 calendar days to expiry). So Monday is when those puts may open; Friday is which expiry is chosen. It is not Friday-only entries.
Other put DTEs
If put DTE is anything other than 7, cash-secured puts can open on any weekday the job runs (subject to trend filters, buying power, approved symbols, and the usual checks). Expiration follows your configured DTE target, not the 7 DTE Friday pin.
Covered calls are not Monday-gated
Covered calls can be considered on any weekday entry window when the system has enough tracked shares (at least 100). That stays true even when call DTE is set to 7.
When call DTE is 7, expirations still use the Friday pin nearest about 7 DTE (same expiry rule as 7 DTE puts).
Calls are sized only against shares this system tracks. See Assignment and covered calls.
$0.25 minimum credit
New puts, covered calls, and rolls need at least $0.25 of credit per share to open. If the best matching contract pays less than that, the system skips it and records credit below minimum in the execution history rather than chasing a tiny premium.
Expirations and assignment: weekday mornings
Every weekday at 8:00 AM Eastern, the system checks what happened to expired contracts and updates your records: closing expired options, recording assignments, and opening equity positions where you've taken delivery.
So after an expiration weekend, your account updates Monday morning. New puts or calls then wait for the next eligible entry window (Monday for 7 DTE puts; any weekday for other puts and for covered calls).
Daily ITM rolls (when Rolling Rules is on)
If you turn on Rolling Rules in settings, the system also runs a weekday roll check about an hour before the cash close, normally 3:00 PM Eastern, or 12:00 PM Eastern on early-close days.
Cash-secured puts may roll out to about 21 DTE for a net credit when:
On expiration day, the put is in the money by any amount.
On other days, the put is at least about 10% in the money.
The replacement put's delta stays below 47, credit is at least $0.25, and the position hasn't already been rolled once.
Covered calls are never rolled. If Rolling Rules is off (the default for Slow & Steady), this weekday roll pass does nothing.
What a normal week looks like
Weekday mornings: assignment / expiration reconciliation. Weekday afternoons: optional ITM rolls if Rolling Rules is on. Weekdays at 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM: entry evaluation (with the 7 DTE put Monday-only rule above). Positions then sit until they expire or hit your take-profit / roll rules.
Long stretches of no activity are the expected state, not a problem, especially with Rolling Rules off or with 7 DTE puts waiting for Monday.
Why nothing happened on an entry day
If both windows passed without a trade, it's usually one of these (all recorded in your execution history):
7 DTE puts on a non-Monday. The job ran, but those puts only open on Monday.
Every symbol already has a position. One open contract per symbol is the limit.
Your allocation is fully committed. Existing positions have used the budget.
Insufficient buying power at your brokerage for another cash-secured put.
No contract matched your delta and DTE targets.
Credit below $0.25. A match existed but the premium was too small to open.
The covered call floor blocked it. You hold tracked shares, but no strike above your cost basis was available (when the strike-above-entry setting is on).
Your brokerage couldn't be reached, or reported an account restriction / eligibility block. The run is skipped rather than risking a bad trade.
Orders that don't fill immediately
Entries are limit orders placed at the mid price, which means they don't always fill straight away. While an order works at your brokerage, it's repriced automatically to chase a fill, without chasing opening credits below $0.25.
A new position shows as pending until your brokerage confirms it, then becomes open. Pending positions still reserve capital against your allocation.
If an entry hasn't been confirmed within 24 hours, it's voided and any working order is cancelled. The system will try again at the next eligible entry window.
Changing settings mid-week
Save whenever you like. Changes apply at the next eligible entry run. They don't affect contracts already open, since the system never modifies an open position (rolls under Rolling Rules are the intentional exception).
Want something to happen now?
You can trigger an evaluation manually from More options. See Triggering a manual entry. It still won't place a trade unless conditions qualify (including the Monday rule for 7 DTE puts, unless a special ignore-schedule path applies).
If no open trades, entry timing is handled differently
The goal is to have your money working, so the system shouldn't make you wait a full week when you're flat. If there are no open positions, it can enter on the next trading day using the same two windows (10:00 AM and 1:00 PM Eastern).
That flat shortcut does not override the 7 DTE put Monday-only rule. A 7 DTE cash-secured put still waits for Monday.