How long is a quote valid for and the date to write on it

The general rule on quote validity

An offer lasts for the time it states. If your quote says it is valid until 27 November, the customer can accept up to that day and you are held to the price. Once the date passes the offer lapses on its own; nobody needs to cancel anything. If no time is stated, it lapses after whatever period is reasonable for that kind of job.

“Reasonable” is the problem. For a burst pipe repair it might be a few days. For a kitchen renovation priced during a quiet winter, a customer might argue that three months is still reasonable. You remove the argument by writing a date.

Two related points from general contract principles are worth knowing. First, you can usually withdraw an offer before it is accepted, even inside its validity period, unless the customer paid you to hold it open or local law treats it as firm. Second, a customer who accepts after expiry is making you a fresh offer that you are free to take or turn down. The guide to whether a quote is legally binding explains both.

Typical quote validity periods by type of work

There is no single legal period for most work; the number comes from how fast your costs move and how long the customer needs to decide. The table shows periods that trades and service businesses commonly choose. Treat them as starting points to adjust, not as rules, and check your country page for any local requirement.

How to choose your quote validity period

Pick the shortest period that still gives the customer a fair chance to decide. Then check it against four things: how quickly your material prices change, how long your supplier will hold its price, how full your schedule is, and whether the season will change your costs or availability before the customer replies.

• Material movement. If a timber or cable price list changed twice last quarter, a 30 day quote is a bet you may lose.
• Supplier price holds. Ask how long your supplier’s own quote stands. Your validity should not outlast theirs.
• Your diary. A long validity on a busy calendar can force you to fit in a job you have no room for.
• Season. An exterior painting quote written in late summer and accepted in winter may be impossible to deliver as priced.
• The customer. Commercial buyers with approval rounds may need 30 days or more. Agree it up front rather than extending repeatedly.

Writing the quote expiry date

Write a calendar date, not just “valid for 30 days”. A number of days invites the question “from when”: the date you wrote it, sent it or the customer opened it. A date settles it. Put it near the top beside the quote number and repeat it in the terms so the customer sees it twice.

The free quote maker sets the valid until date for you at 7, 14 or 30 days, or any custom date, and flags the quote as expiring soon in its last three days.

Set the expiry date in one click

Choose 7, 14 or 30 days or a custom date, then download the PDF.

Open the quote maker

What happens when a quote expires

After the expiry date you have three choices: honor the old price, re-price the job, or decline. Whichever you choose, put it in writing with a new or revised quote number so there is no doubt which price applies. A customer accepting late has not created a contract until you confirm.

Worked example: a deck builder quoted on 28 October with materials costing $4,800, marked up 15% to $5,520, plus $3,900 labor, for $9,420 before tax. The customer comes back 45 days later. The lumber yard has raised prices 6% in the meantime.

The difference is $331.20. Some builders absorb a gap that size to keep a good customer; others send revised quote Q-3318-R1 at $9,751.20 with a one line note explaining the supplier increase. Both are fine. What you should avoid is starting work without saying which figure applies.

Can you withdraw a quote before it expires

In general, yes, as long as the customer has not yet accepted and your withdrawal reaches them before their acceptance does. A validity period tells the customer how long they have; it is not usually a promise that you will keep the offer open. The exceptions are a customer who paid to hold the price and places where local law makes firm written offers binding.

Withdrawing should be rare. If a supplier has just put prices up, a polite revised quote does the same job without the customer feeling the ground move. Send it in writing, give the new number and date, and say plainly that the earlier quote no longer stands.

Protecting your price inside the validity period

A quote validity period protects the customer from your price rising before they decide. You can still protect yourself. Keep the period short where costs move, ask suppliers to hold prices, show volatile materials on their own lines, and add a price adjustment term that ties changes to supplier invoices the customer can see.

• Split volatile lines. Show copper cable, structural lumber or steel separately so any adjustment is easy to trace.
• Use a provisional sum for an item you cannot price yet, such as tiles the customer has not chosen.
• Order on acceptance. Take the deposit and lock the supplier price the same week.
• Follow up before expiry. A reminder a few days out often gets a decision. The quote follow up guide has scripts.

Local rules on quote validity

Most countries leave the validity period to you, but consumer, building and tax rules still affect what a quote must say and how long a price holds. Our country pages cover what we checked on official sources, including whether written terms are required for certain work and what tax wording belongs on the quote.

See the pages for Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States, Canada, India, Singapore, South Africa and the UAE. For the other terms that sit beside the expiry date, read quote terms and conditions.