Microsoft Planner Is Adding Task Completion Percentages

Microsoft Planner is adding a new Completion (%) field so teams can record more precise task progress. Instead of describing every active task simply as “In progress”, users will be able to view and update how far a task has advanced as a percentage.

Microsoft added the feature to its public Microsoft 365 Roadmap on 26 August 2026. The current target is worldwide availability in October 2026 for Planner on the web.

It is a small change, but one many project teams will notice. A task that is 10% complete and one that is 90% complete currently look much the same in an ordinary Planner plan. The new column should make progress updates more useful without forcing every business into a heavier project-management system.

What has Microsoft announced?

Microsoft’s new Roadmap item 569610 is called “Planner: Track task progress with the Completion (%) field”.

Microsoft says the new column will let users:

• see task completion as a percentage;
• update that percentage directly;
• communicate incremental progress more clearly; and
• understand quickly how far work has advanced.

The announcement is confirmed, but it is still an early roadmap entry. Microsoft has not yet published screenshots, a Message Center notice or detailed end-user instructions.

How does Planner task progress work today?

Microsoft’s current support guidance describes three ordinary Planner progress states:

• Not started
• In progress
• Completed

Those labels are simple and useful, but they leave a wide gap in the middle. A manager looking at a plan cannot tell whether an “In progress” task has only just begun, is halfway through or is nearly ready for review.

Some teams work around this by adding percentages to task titles, creating checklist items or writing updates in notes and comments. Others use premium Planner features or separate project-management software when they need more detailed tracking.

What difference will the Completion (%) field make?

The new field should let a team give a clearer status without changing the task’s wording. For example:

• a proposal could be shown as 25% complete after research has started;
• a website migration could be shown as 70% complete while testing continues; or
• a client onboarding task could be shown as 90% complete while one final check remains.

This could be especially helpful in Grid view, where managers compare several tasks at once. It may also reduce vague progress updates and make project reviews quicker.

However, Microsoft has not yet explained whether users can enter any percentage, whether values move in fixed increments or whether the field will calculate automatically from other task data. Until Microsoft publishes more detail, businesses should treat the percentage as a progress indicator rather than a verified measure of time, cost or effort.

Who is likely to be affected?

The roadmap entry applies to Planner on the web in Microsoft’s worldwide standard cloud. It does not currently list the Teams, Android or iOS Planner experiences.

Planner itself is included with Microsoft 365 Business Basic, Business Standard and Business Premium. Microsoft also offers premium Planner subscriptions with more advanced project features.

The important caveat is that the new roadmap entry does not yet state whether the Completion (%) column will behave identically in both Basic and Premium plans. Microsoft’s current comparison confirms that both plan types have Grid view, but that is not the same as confirming the licensing of this particular new field.

Businesses should therefore avoid changing licences solely because of this early announcement. KES will watch for the Message Center notice and updated Planner documentation.

When will Planner percentages arrive?

Microsoft’s current roadmap target is October 2026 for general availability. No separate preview date is listed.

A roadmap month is a target, not a promise that every user will see the feature on 1 October. Microsoft normally rolls Microsoft 365 changes out in stages, and dates can move while a feature is in development.

If Planner looks unchanged in early October, that does not necessarily mean anything is wrong. The feature may not yet have reached your tenant, and the roadmap may be revised before release.

What should businesses do now?

1. Do not redesign your process yet. Wait for Microsoft’s detailed documentation and the saved field to appear in your tenant.
2. Decide what a percentage means. Teams should agree whether progress reflects elapsed time, completed work, checklist items or a responsible person’s judgement.
3. Avoid false precision. A figure such as 63% can look scientific even when it is only an estimate.
4. Keep ownership and deadlines visible. A percentage does not replace a clear task owner, due date and next action.
5. Review plan licensing before assuming feature availability. Basic and Premium Planner plans do not include exactly the same capabilities.
6. Update internal guidance after rollout. If your team uses Planner regularly, show users when and how to update the new field.

For wider help choosing Microsoft 365 tools, see our Microsoft 365 guides or read why day-to-day Microsoft 365 management matters.

Quick answers

Is Microsoft Planner getting task percentages?

Yes. Microsoft has added a new Completion (%) field to its public roadmap for Planner on the web.

When is it coming?

Microsoft currently targets general availability in October 2026. The date may change and rollout may be gradual.

Does Planner currently support percentages?

Ordinary Planner support guidance currently describes Not started, In progress and Completed. Some premium project experiences already expose more detailed progress, which is why Microsoft’s licensing detail for the new column still matters.

Will it be included with Microsoft 365 Business Basic?

Planner is included with Business Basic, Standard and Premium, but Microsoft has not yet confirmed whether this particular field will appear identically in Basic and Premium plan types.

The important point

This is a useful quality-of-life improvement, not a complete project-management system. The new percentage column should give teams a clearer view of work in progress, but the figure will only be useful if people update it consistently and understand what it represents.

For many small businesses already using Planner, that extra visibility could remove the need for awkward workarounds and make weekly project reviews more meaningful.

Microsoft sources

• Microsoft 365 Roadmap ID 569610: Planner – Track task progress with the Completion (%) field (first added 26 August 2026).
• Microsoft Support: Set and update task progress in Planner (current three-state progress guidance).
• Microsoft Support: Compare Planner Basic and Premium plans.
• Microsoft 365 Business Basic product page (Planner inclusion).

Microsoft can revise roadmap dates and feature details. KES will update its advice when the Message Center notice and final user documentation are available.