diff --git a/src/lib/board/dates.test.ts b/src/lib/board/dates.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..84c0a87
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/board/dates.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+import { describe, it, expect } from "vitest";
+import { classifyDueDate, formatDueDate } from "@/lib/board/dates";
+
+const today = new Date("2026-09-16T10:00:00Z");
+
+describe("classifyDueDate", () => {
+  it("returns none for an unset date", () => {
+    expect(classifyDueDate("", today)).toBe("none");
+    expect(classifyDueDate("2026-09-16 00:00:00.000Z", today)).toBe("today");
+  });
+
+  it("returns overdue for a past date", () => {
+    expect(classifyDueDate("2026-09-15", today)).toBe("overdue");
+  });
+
+  it("returns today for the current date", () => {
+    expect(classifyDueDate("2026-09-16", today)).toBe("today");
+  });
+
+  it("returns soon for within three days", () => {
+    expect(classifyDueDate("2026-09-17", today)).toBe("soon");
+    expect(classifyDueDate("2026-09-19", today)).toBe("soon");
+  });
+
+  it("returns later beyond three days", () => {
+    expect(classifyDueDate("2026-09-20", today)).toBe("later");
+  });
+
+  it("compares whole days, ignoring the time of day", () => {
+    // A date due "today" must not flip to overdue at 00:01 simply because the
+    // stored timestamp is midnight and the clock has moved past it.
+    const lateInDay = new Date("2026-09-16T23:59:00Z");
+    expect(classifyDueDate("2026-09-16 00:00:00.000Z", lateInDay)).toBe("today");
+  });
+});
+
+describe("formatDueDate", () => {
+  it("returns an empty string for an unset date", () => {
+    expect(formatDueDate("", today)).toBe("");
+  });
+
+  it("writes today and tomorrow in words", () => {
+    expect(formatDueDate("2026-09-16", today)).toBe("Today");
+    expect(formatDueDate("2026-09-17", today)).toBe("Tomorrow");
+  });
+
+  it("writes a nearby date as a short day and month", () => {
+    expect(formatDueDate("2026-09-24", today)).toBe("24 Sep");
+  });
+
+  it("includes the year when the date is in another year", () => {
+    expect(formatDueDate("2027-02-03", today)).toBe("3 Feb 2027");
+  });
+});
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/lib/board/dates.ts b/src/lib/board/dates.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..28246b3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/lib/board/dates.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+/**
+ * Target date classification and formatting.
+ *
+ * Comparisons are whole-day, in UTC. PocketBase stores a date field as
+ * "2026-09-16 00:00:00.000Z", so a naive timestamp comparison marks anything
+ * due today as overdue the moment the clock passes midnight — the board would
+ * turn red every morning for cards that are perfectly on time.
+ */
+
+export type DueClass = "none" | "overdue" | "today" | "soon" | "later";
+
+/** Whole days between two dates, positive when `date` is in the future. */
+function dayDelta(date: string, now: Date): number {
+  const target = Date.UTC(
+    Number(date.slice(0, 4)),
+    Number(date.slice(5, 7)) - 1,
+    Number(date.slice(8, 10))
+  );
+  const reference = Date.UTC(
+    now.getUTCFullYear(),
+    now.getUTCMonth(),
+    now.getUTCDate()
+  );
+  return Math.round((target - reference) / 86_400_000);
+}
+
+export function classifyDueDate(
+  targetDate: string,
+  now: Date = new Date()
+): DueClass {
+  if (!targetDate) return "none";
+
+  const delta = dayDelta(targetDate, now);
+  if (delta < 0) return "overdue";
+  if (delta === 0) return "today";
+  if (delta <= 3) return "soon";
+  return "later";
+}
+
+const MONTHS = [
+  "Jan", "Feb", "Mar", "Apr", "May", "Jun",
+  "Jul", "Aug", "Sep", "Oct", "Nov", "Dec",
+];
+
+export function formatDueDate(
+  targetDate: string,
+  now: Date = new Date()
+): string {
+  if (!targetDate) return "";
+
+  const delta = dayDelta(targetDate, now);
+  if (delta === 0) return "Today";
+  if (delta === 1) return "Tomorrow";
+
+  const year = Number(targetDate.slice(0, 4));
+  const month = MONTHS[Number(targetDate.slice(5, 7)) - 1];
+  const day = Number(targetDate.slice(8, 10));
+
+  if (year !== now.getUTCFullYear()) return `${day} ${month} ${year}`;
+  return `${day} ${month}`;
+}
\ No newline at end of file