Quote expiry dates are standard business practice, but they generate more client confusion than almost any other line on a quotation. Clients sometimes treat expiry as a hard deadline that kills the project, and freelancers sometimes forget about expiry entirely and get stuck with old pricing. Here is how expiry works and how to handle it from both sides.
Why quotes expire at all
Quotes expire for three practical reasons:
1. Rates change. If you quoted a project in January at your January rate and the client comes back in August, you may have raised your prices. The expiry date means you are not obligated to honor a five-month-old price.
2. Availability changes. Your schedule in June is not the same as your schedule in October. A quote for a project starting “next month” becomes meaningless if the client waits three months to accept.
3. Costs change. If your quote includes third-party costs (stock photos, subcontractors, hosting), those costs can change. An expired quote protects you from having to absorb cost increases that happened after you quoted.
Why 30 days is the standard
Thirty days gives a client enough time to review a quote internally, get budget approval, and make a decision—without leaving the quote open long enough for your circumstances to change meaningfully.
For larger projects where budget approval takes longer (government contracts, enterprise clients, large agencies), 60 or 90 days is common. For smaller freelance projects, 30 days is appropriate and slightly shorter than what most clients need, which creates mild urgency.
What to write on the quote
The expiry clause should be explicit and specific. Avoid vague language.
Write this:
This quotation is valid until June 26, 2026. Pricing may change after this date.
Avoid this:
Quote valid for 30 days. (From which date? When was it sent?)
Date the quote and tie the validity to a specific calendar date. A client reading the quote two weeks after you sent it needs to know exactly when their window closes, not calculate it from the send date.
What happens if a client misses the expiry
This is the situation most freelancers are unsure how to handle.
If rates have not changed and you have availability: Send a simple email reconfirming the original quote with a new expiry date.
“Hi Sarah, I noticed the quote I sent on May 1st has expired. If you’re still interested in moving forward, I’m happy to extend the same pricing through June 30th. Let me know if that works.”
If rates have changed: Send a revised quote at your current rates with a brief explanation.
“The quote from May has expired. I’m resending it with updated pricing that reflects my current rates—happy to walk you through any changes on a quick call.”
If you are fully booked: Be honest about availability and offer a timeline that works.
“The original quote has expired, and my current availability for a new project start is [date]. I’d be happy to hold that slot if you’re interested—I’ll resend a quote valid through [date].”
A client returning to an expired quote is a warm lead who has been thinking about your work for 30+ days. Handle the expiry gracefully—not rigidly—and you often close work that seemed lost.
Handling expiry from the client side
If you are a client who has received an expired quote and still wants the project:
Contact the freelancer directly and acknowledge the expiry. Something like: “I know the quote you sent has expired—my budget approval took longer than expected. Are you still available, and is the pricing still current?”
This puts you in a professional, honest position and gives the freelancer the information they need to respond helpfully.
Setting expiry dates in a quoting tool
In quoting tools like Waco3, you can set a default expiry window and have the specific expiry date calculated automatically from the send date. When a quote is about to expire, the tool can send an automated reminder to the client—turning an overlooked deadline into a re-engagement opportunity without any manual follow-up from you.
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