Quote Validity and Automatic Expiry
Putting a shelf life on a quote, and being reminded to chase it before it lapses.
What this is
Every quote gets a Valid until date. Two things then happen on their own:
- Three days before it lapses, whoever created the quote gets a reminder to follow up.
- The day after it lapses, the quote is marked Expired automatically, and a note goes onto the linked contact, company and deal.
Why put a date on a quote at all
It protects your margin. Materials and labour move. A quote you priced in March that someone accepts in September is a job you may end up doing at a loss, and "that price isn't valid any more" is a much harder conversation to have after the fact than a date printed on the document.
It creates urgency. An open-ended quote can be thought about forever. A date gives the customer a reason to decide.
And the reminder is the part that earns money. Being nudged to phone someone while their quote is still live is worth considerably more than tidily marking it Expired after the chance has gone. That's why the follow-up nudge exists at all.
When it applies
Quotes only. Invoices don't expire — an invoice is a request for payment that stays owed until it's settled or cancelled.
How to set it
A default for all new quotes: go to Settings → Invoices & Quotes and set Quote valid for (days). It starts at 30. Set it to 0 if you'd rather your quotes never expire.
A specific date on one quote: when creating a quote, use the Valid until field. Leave it blank to use your default.
What your customer sees
The public quote page and the PDF both show the Valid until date. Once it passes, the page shows a clear notice: that the quote expired, and to get in touch for an updated one.
An expired quote can no longer be signed. The accept-and-sign box disappears, and the server refuses a signature even if someone still has the old link — accepting a lapsed quote would create a signed record of terms you no longer stand behind. A quote that was already signed keeps showing its signature for the record.
Statuses
A quote moves Draft → Sent → Accepted, or lapses to Expired. Only Draft and Sent quotes are swept — one that's already been Accepted or Cancelled is left alone, since its outcome is settled.
You can still set the status by hand at any time. Automatic expiry only ever acts on quotes nobody has resolved.
If you need to revive an expired quote
Change its status back to Sent and give it a new Valid until date, or create a fresh quote at current prices — usually the better option, since the reason it expired is that time has passed.