diff --git a/src/export/json.test.ts b/src/export/json.test.ts
index 7e25dee..8f482ee 100644
--- a/src/export/json.test.ts
+++ b/src/export/json.test.ts
@@ -253,3 +253,142 @@ describe("the decimal-places setting on import", () => {
     expect(out.settings.digits).toBe(2);
   });
 });
+
+describe("recurring cost validation", () => {
+  function withRecurring(recurring: unknown[]): string {
+    const data: any = createSeedDataset("2026-01");
+    data.posts[0].id = "housing";
+    data.recurring = recurring;
+    return JSON.stringify(data);
+  }
+
+  const valid = {
+    id: "r1",
+    name: "Rent",
+    order: 0,
+    archived: false,
+    amount: { amount: 8000, currency: "DKK" },
+    startDate: "2026-01",
+    recurrence: { kind: "everyNMonths", n: 1 },
+    anchoring: "calendar",
+    splitMode: "percent",
+    splits: [{ postId: "housing", value: 100, absorbsRemainder: true }],
+  };
+
+  test("a well-formed cost is accepted", () => {
+    expect(parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([valid])).recurring.length).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  test("an undefined currency is refused", () => {
+    expect(() => parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([{ ...valid, amount: { amount: 1, currency: "XYZ" } }])))
+      .toThrow(/Unsupported currency/);
+  });
+
+  test("a malformed start date is refused", () => {
+    expect(() => parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([{ ...valid, startDate: "2026-13" }])))
+      .toThrow(/start date/);
+  });
+
+  test("a malformed endedFrom is refused", () => {
+    expect(() => parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([{ ...valid, endedFrom: "nope" }])))
+      .toThrow(/ended-from date/);
+  });
+
+  test("an interval below 1 is refused, not clamped", () => {
+    // Clamping would silently change the bill's schedule. The walk in
+    // occurrences.ts cannot terminate without this.
+    expect(() => parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([{ ...valid, recurrence: { kind: "everyNDays", n: 0 } }])))
+      .toThrow(/at least 1/);
+  });
+
+  test("a fractional interval is refused", () => {
+    expect(() => parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([{ ...valid, recurrence: { kind: "everyNDays", n: 1.5 } }])))
+      .toThrow(/whole number/);
+  });
+
+  test("an unknown recurrence kind is refused", () => {
+    expect(() => parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([{ ...valid, recurrence: { kind: "everyFullMoon", n: 1 } }])))
+      .toThrow(/unknown kind/);
+  });
+
+  test("a weekday outside 0-6 is refused", () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([{ ...valid, recurrence: { kind: "everyNWeeks", n: 1, weekday: 7 } }])),
+    ).toThrow(/weekday/);
+  });
+
+  test("an unknown anchoring is refused", () => {
+    expect(() => parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([{ ...valid, anchoring: "whenever" }])))
+      .toThrow(/anchoring/);
+  });
+
+  test("splits must have exactly one remainder absorber", () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([{
+        ...valid,
+        splits: [
+          { postId: "housing", value: 50, absorbsRemainder: true },
+          { postId: "housing", value: 50, absorbsRemainder: true },
+        ],
+      }])),
+    ).toThrow(/absorbsRemainder/);
+  });
+
+  test("a split naming an unknown post is refused", () => {
+    expect(() =>
+      parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([{
+        ...valid,
+        splits: [{ postId: "ghost", value: 100, absorbsRemainder: true }],
+      }])),
+    ).toThrow(/unknown post/);
+  });
+
+  test("no splits at all is refused", () => {
+    expect(() => parseDatasetJson(withRecurring([{ ...valid, splits: [] }])))
+      .toThrow(/no splits/);
+  });
+});
+
+describe("Purchase.source validation", () => {
+  function withSource(source: unknown): string {
+    const data: any = createSeedDataset("2026-01");
+    data.posts[0].id = "housing";
+    data.recurring = [];
+    data.purchases = [{
+      id: "p1",
+      date: "2026-01",
+      description: "Rent",
+      total: { amount: 8000, currency: "DKK" },
+      splitMode: "percent",
+      splits: [{ postId: "housing", value: 100, absorbsRemainder: true }],
+      schedule: null,
+      source,
+    }];
+    return JSON.stringify(data);
+  }
+
+  test("a purchase with no source is fine", () => {
+    const data: any = createSeedDataset("2026-01");
+    data.recurring = [];
+    expect(() => parseDatasetJson(JSON.stringify(data))).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+  test("a source naming an unknown cost is refused", () => {
+    expect(() => parseDatasetJson(withSource({ recurringId: "ghost", occurrenceDate: "2026-01" })))
+      .toThrow(/unknown recurring cost/);
+  });
+
+  test("a source with a malformed occurrence date is refused", () => {
+    const data: any = JSON.parse(withSource({ recurringId: "r1", occurrenceDate: "nope" }));
+    data.recurring = [{
+      id: "r1", name: "Rent", order: 0, archived: false,
+      amount: { amount: 8000, currency: "DKK" },
+      startDate: "2026-01",
+      recurrence: { kind: "everyNMonths", n: 1 },
+      anchoring: "calendar",
+      splitMode: "percent",
+      splits: [{ postId: "housing", value: 100, absorbsRemainder: true }],
+    }];
+    expect(() => parseDatasetJson(JSON.stringify(data))).toThrow(/occurrence date/);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/src/export/json.ts b/src/export/json.ts
index 6158d19..cbdd6a3 100644
--- a/src/export/json.ts
+++ b/src/export/json.ts
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ const MONTH_ID = /^\d{4}-(0[1-9]|1[0-2])$/;
  */
 const PURCHASE_DATE = /^\d{4}-(0[1-9]|1[0-2])(-(0[1-9]|[12]\d|3[01]))?$/;
 
+const ANCHORINGS = new Set(["calendar", "lastCharge"]);
+const RECURRENCE_KINDS = new Set(["everyNMonths", "everyNDays", "everyNWeeks"]);
+
 /**
  * `Currency` is an open string now, so this — not the type system — is what
  * stops a code the dataset never defined reaching the fold, where it would
@@ -118,6 +121,39 @@ function requireArray(data: Record<string, unknown>, key: string): unknown[] {
   return value;
 }
 
+/**
+ * `n` is checked hard rather than clamped. The projection walk in
+ * `domain/occurrences.ts` terminates only if every step strictly advances, and
+ * a clamped zero would silently give the owner a schedule their file does not
+ * describe. Rejecting tells them the file is wrong; clamping tells them
+ * nothing and quietly changes a bill.
+ */
+function requireRecurrence(recurrence: any, label: string): void {
+  if (!recurrence || !RECURRENCE_KINDS.has(recurrence.kind)) {
+    throw new ImportValidationError(
+      `${label} has a recurrence of unknown kind "${String(recurrence?.kind)}"`,
+    );
+  }
+  if (typeof recurrence.n !== "number" || !Number.isInteger(recurrence.n)) {
+    throw new ImportValidationError(
+      `${label} has a recurrence interval that is not a whole number: ${String(recurrence.n)}`,
+    );
+  }
+  if (recurrence.n < 1) {
+    throw new ImportValidationError(
+      `${label} has a recurrence interval of ${recurrence.n}; it must be at least 1`,
+    );
+  }
+  if (recurrence.kind === "everyNWeeks") {
+    const { weekday } = recurrence;
+    if (typeof weekday !== "number" || !Number.isInteger(weekday) || weekday < 0 || weekday > 6) {
+      throw new ImportValidationError(
+        `${label} has a weekday of ${String(weekday)}; it must be 0-6, where 0 is Sunday`,
+      );
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 /**
  * Validates far enough that the fold cannot throw on the imported data: every
  * split points at a real post, every purchase has exactly one remainder
@@ -210,6 +246,43 @@ export function parseDatasetJson(text: string): Dataset {
     }
   }
 
+  const recurring = Array.isArray(data.recurring) ? (data.recurring as any[]) : [];
+  dataset.recurring = recurring;
+  const recurringIds = new Set(recurring.map((cost: any) => cost.id));
+
+  for (const cost of recurring) {
+    const label = `Recurring cost "${cost.name}"`;
+    requireCurrency(cost.amount?.currency, label, defined);
+
+    if (!PURCHASE_DATE.test(cost.startDate)) {
+      throw new ImportValidationError(`${label} has an invalid start date "${cost.startDate}"`);
+    }
+    if (cost.endedFrom !== undefined && !PURCHASE_DATE.test(cost.endedFrom)) {
+      throw new ImportValidationError(`${label} has an invalid ended-from date "${cost.endedFrom}"`);
+    }
+    requireRecurrence(cost.recurrence, label);
+
+    if (!ANCHORINGS.has(cost.anchoring)) {
+      throw new ImportValidationError(
+        `${label} has an unknown anchoring "${String(cost.anchoring)}"`,
+      );
+    }
+    if (!Array.isArray(cost.splits) || cost.splits.length === 0) {
+      throw new ImportValidationError(`${label} has no splits; at least one split is required`);
+    }
+    const absorbers = cost.splits.filter((s: any) => s.absorbsRemainder).length;
+    if (absorbers !== 1) {
+      throw new ImportValidationError(
+        `${label} has ${absorbers} splits flagged absorbsRemainder; exactly one is required`,
+      );
+    }
+    for (const split of cost.splits) {
+      if (!postIds.has(split.postId)) {
+        throw new ImportValidationError(`${label} references unknown post "${split.postId}"`);
+      }
+    }
+  }
+
   for (const month of dataset.months) {
     if (!MONTH_ID.test(month.id)) {
       throw new ImportValidationError(`Invalid month id "${month.id}"`);
@@ -246,6 +319,19 @@ export function parseDatasetJson(text: string): Dataset {
       }
       requireCurrency(slice.amount.currency, `${label} slice ${slice.month}`, defined);
     }
+
+    if (purchase.source !== undefined) {
+      if (!recurringIds.has(purchase.source.recurringId)) {
+        throw new ImportValidationError(
+          `${label} names unknown recurring cost "${purchase.source.recurringId}"`,
+        );
+      }
+      if (!PURCHASE_DATE.test(purchase.source.occurrenceDate)) {
+        throw new ImportValidationError(
+          `${label} has an invalid occurrence date "${purchase.source.occurrenceDate}"`,
+        );
+      }
+    }
   }
 
   return dataset;