How Long Is a Quote Valid For? Setting a Validity Period That Protects You

↑ Part of the Quoting series · How to Quote a Job Properly

A quote is an offer. The customer accepts it or they do not, and until they do you can withdraw it. That is the whole of the law on the subject, and it means there is no standard validity period: not 30 days, not 14, nothing written down anywhere unless you write it. A quote with no expiry on it is open until you say otherwise, which in practice means it is open until the customer decides, months later, that they would like the job at last spring's prices. The validity line is the one sentence on the quote that stops that.

This page sits under our How to Quote a Job Properly guide. It covers how long to give, what to do when someone accepts after the date, and the wording that keeps material price rises off your margin.

Part 1Why the date is doing real work

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Three things move between the day you quote and the day the customer says yes:

• Materials. Timber, copper, plaster and boards have all moved by double figures inside a year at various points recently. A quote priced in one quarter and accepted in the next can be underwater before you have bought anything.
• Your diary. A quote assumes a start date, even when it does not say one. Accept it three months late and the slot has gone; you either bump another customer or work evenings.
• Your rates. If you review your day rate once a year, an old quote is a year of costs you have agreed not to charge.

Materials as priced on the quote	£3,000.00
Price rise between quoting and accepting, at 8%	£240.00
What the same materials now cost you	£3,240.00

The £240 comes straight off your margin, because the customer accepted a price and you are bound to it. On a 20% markup job that is a meaningful slice of the profit, lost to nothing but the calendar.

Part 2How long to give

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Most trades settle on 30 days, and it is a sensible default: long enough for a homeowner to think and compare, short enough that your costs have not moved. Two adjustments are worth making:

• Shorter, 14 days, when the job is materials-heavy or the price of a key item is moving. Say why on the quote if you like; customers accept it more readily than they accept a silent short deadline.
• Longer, 60 or 90 days, for a customer who has told you they are waiting on finance, planning permission or a survey. Give the time rather than have them come back after expiry, and tie the price to a clause on materials (below) so the long window is not a long exposure.

Whatever the number, write it as a date, not a duration. "Valid until 14 October 2026" is checked at a glance; "valid for 30 days" starts a conversation about which day you sent it.

Part 3When a customer accepts after the date

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An acceptance after the validity date is not an acceptance; the offer has lapsed. That leaves you two options and both are fine:

• Honour it. If your costs have not moved and the diary can take it, say so and treat the acceptance as good. You have given the customer something, and that is worth mentioning.
• Re-quote. Send a fresh quote with a fresh date. Often the figures barely change; the point is that the new document is what the contract is made on, so the start date, the materials price and any change in scope are all current.

What you should not do is start the job on the old quote and hope to raise the price later. Once you have started, you are performing the contract on its original terms, and a price increase then is a variation that the customer has to agree to, which they have no reason to do.

Part 4The clause that covers materials

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A validity date protects you until the customer accepts. After that, the price is fixed unless the quote says otherwise. Two lines cover the gap:

• Before acceptance: "This quote is valid until [date]. After that date, please ask for an updated price."
• After acceptance, for long jobs: "Materials are priced at the date of this quote. If a supplier's price for a listed item rises by more than 5% before it is ordered, we will show you the supplier's price and pass on the difference at cost."

The second line only works if the customer can see the materials. A single figure for the job gives them nothing to check the increase against and gives you nothing to point at. A quote with the materials listed at cost, and the labour separate, makes the clause fair in both directions: the customer sees exactly what moved, and you are not carrying a supplier's increase out of your own pocket. What to put in a quote covers the breakdown; the quote vs estimate page covers why the number is binding at all once accepted.

Part 5Where the date goes

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Near the price, not buried in the terms. The customer reads the total and the date together, which is the point. On a TradeDraft quote the validity date sits in the header block on page one with the quote number and the issue date, so it is the second thing a customer sees after your name. A real quote shows it in place.

Common questionsQuote validity FAQ

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Is there a legal minimum validity period for a quote in the UK?

No. A quote is an offer and can be withdrawn at any time before it is accepted. If you state no validity period, it stays open until you withdraw it or a reasonable time passes, and "reasonable" is argued after the fact. State a date.

How long should a quote be valid for?

30 days suits most jobs. Use 14 days when material prices are moving, and 60 to 90 days where the customer is waiting on finance or permissions, with a materials clause to match.

Can I change the price after the customer has accepted?

Not unless the quote says you can. Once accepted, the price is the contract. A materials clause agreed at the outset lets you pass on a supplier's increase at cost; a change in the work is a variation, agreed and priced before you do it.

What if the customer accepts the day after it expired?

The offer has lapsed, so it is your choice. Honour it if nothing has changed, or send a short re-quote with a new date. Either way, the document the job runs on should carry a current date.

Should an estimate have a validity date too?

Yes, for the same reason: the figure was built on prices at a point in time. An estimate is not binding on the final price, but a customer who comes back a year later still expects the number they were given.

This guide is general information for UK tradespeople, current to the best of our knowledge in 2026, and is not tax, accounting or legal advice. Rates, thresholds and how they apply to you change, so confirm your position with HMRC, a qualified accountant or a solicitor before relying on it. TradeDraft accepts no liability for decisions made on the basis of this guide. Questions: hello@tradedraft.co.uk.