diff --git a/app/models/recurring_todos/abstract_repeat_pattern.rb b/app/models/recurring_todos/abstract_repeat_pattern.rb
index e678c9e4..45332d99 100644
--- a/app/models/recurring_todos/abstract_repeat_pattern.rb
+++ b/app/models/recurring_todos/abstract_repeat_pattern.rb
@@ -188,31 +188,39 @@ module RecurringTodos
       raise "x should be 1-4 for first-fourth or 5 for last. You supplied #{x}" unless (0..5).include?(x)
 
       if x == 5
-        # 5 means last -> count backwards. use UTC to avoid strange timezone oddities
-        # where last_day -= 1.day seems to shift tz+0100 to tz+0000
-        last_day = Time.utc(year, month, Time.days_in_month(month))
-        while last_day.wday != weekday
-          last_day -= 1.day
-        end
-        # convert back to local timezone
-        Time.zone.local(last_day.year, last_day.month, last_day.day)
+        return find_last_day_x_of_month(weekday, month, year)
       else
-        # 1-4th -> count upwards last -> count backwards. use UTC to avoid strange
-        # timezone oddities where last_day -= 1.day seems to shift tz+0100 to
-        # tz+0000
-        start = Time.utc(year,month,1)
-        n = x
-        while n > 0
-          while start.wday() != weekday
-            start+= 1.day
-          end
-          n -= 1
-          start += 1.day unless n==0
-        end
-        # convert back to local timezone
-        Time.zone.local(start.year, start.month, start.day)
+        return find_xth_day_of_month(x, weekday, month, year)
       end
     end    
 
+    def find_last_day_x_of_month(weekday, month, year)
+      # count backwards. use UTC to avoid strange timezone oddities
+      # where last_day -= 1.day seems to shift tz+0100 to tz+0000
+      last_day = Time.utc(year, month, Time.days_in_month(month))
+      while last_day.wday != weekday
+        last_day -= 1.day
+      end
+      # convert back to local timezone
+      Time.zone.local(last_day.year, last_day.month, last_day.day)
+    end      
+
+    def find_xth_day_of_month(x, weekday, month, year)
+      # 1-4th -> count upwards last -> count backwards. use UTC to avoid strange
+      # timezone oddities where last_day -= 1.day seems to shift tz+0100 to
+      # tz+0000
+      start = Time.utc(year,month,1)
+      n = x
+      while n > 0
+        while start.wday() != weekday
+          start+= 1.day
+        end
+        n -= 1
+        start+= 1.day unless n==0
+      end
+      # convert back to local timezone
+      Time.zone.local(start.year, start.month, start.day)
+    end      
+
   end
 end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/models/recurring_todos/abstract_repeat_pattern_test.rb b/test/models/recurring_todos/abstract_repeat_pattern_test.rb
index 998eb83c..d0bcf98b 100644
--- a/test/models/recurring_todos/abstract_repeat_pattern_test.rb
+++ b/test/models/recurring_todos/abstract_repeat_pattern_test.rb
@@ -103,9 +103,9 @@ module RecurringTodos
     def test_determine_start
       Timecop.travel(2013,1,1) do
         rt = create_recurring_todo
-        assert_equal "2013-01-01 00:00:00 UTC", rt.send(:determine_start, nil).to_s, "no previous date, use today"
-        assert_equal "2013-01-01 00:00:00 UTC", rt.send(:determine_start, nil, 1.day).to_s, "no previous date, use today without offset"
-        assert_equal "2013-01-02 00:00:00 UTC", rt.send(:determine_start, Time.zone.now, 1.day).to_s, "use previous date and offset"
+        assert_equal "2013-01-01 00:00:00", rt.send(:determine_start, nil).to_s(:db), "no previous date, use today"
+        assert_equal "2013-01-01 00:00:00", rt.send(:determine_start, nil, 1.day).to_s(:db), "no previous date, use today without offset"
+        assert_equal "2013-01-02 00:00:00", rt.send(:determine_start, Time.zone.now, 1.day).to_s(:db), "use previous date and offset"
       end
     end
 
@@ -113,14 +113,14 @@ module RecurringTodos
       rt = create_recurring_todo
 
       # march 2014 has 5 saturdays, the last will return the 5th
-      assert_equal "2014-03-01 00:00:00 UTC", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 1, 6, 3, 2014).to_s
-      assert_equal "2014-03-22 00:00:00 UTC", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 4, 6, 3, 2014).to_s
-      assert_equal "2014-03-29 00:00:00 UTC", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 5, 6, 3, 2014).to_s
+      assert_equal "2014-03-01 00:00:00", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 1, 6, 3, 2014).to_s(:db)
+      assert_equal "2014-03-22 00:00:00", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 4, 6, 3, 2014).to_s(:db)
+      assert_equal "2014-03-29 00:00:00", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 5, 6, 3, 2014).to_s(:db)
 
       # march 2014 has 4 fridays, the last will return the 4th
-      assert_equal "2014-03-07 00:00:00 UTC", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 1, 5, 3, 2014).to_s
-      assert_equal "2014-03-28 00:00:00 UTC", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 4, 5, 3, 2014).to_s
-      assert_equal "2014-03-28 00:00:00 UTC", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 5, 5, 3, 2014).to_s
+      assert_equal "2014-03-07 00:00:00", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 1, 5, 3, 2014).to_s(:db)
+      assert_equal "2014-03-28 00:00:00", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 4, 5, 3, 2014).to_s(:db)
+      assert_equal "2014-03-28 00:00:00", rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 5, 5, 3, 2014).to_s(:db)
 
       assert_raise(RuntimeError, "should check on valid weekdays"){ rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 5, 9, 3, 2014) }
       assert_raise(RuntimeError, "should check on valid count x"){ rt.send(:get_xth_day_of_month, 6, 5, 3, 2014) }