Expiry tracking
Contract expiry tracker
A contract expiry tracker records when each agreement ends - and, more importantly, the last date you can act before it renews automatically. A list of end dates is not a tracker: it does not tell you what to do, or when.
Expiry date vs notice deadline
The expiry date is when the current term ends. The notice deadline is the last date valid notice can be served - usually weeks or months earlier, set by the notice period. Track the notice deadline first: once it passes, the contract renews on its terms whether or not anyone intended it to.
For contracts that roll over automatically, the expired term may never arrive at all. The only date that protects you is the notice deadline.
What to record for each contract
- Supplier and contract name - enough to find the document later.
- Start date and term length - the basis for every later calculation.
- Expiry date - the end of the current term.
- Notice period - how much warning the other side requires.
- Notice deadline - expiry minus the notice period, adjusted for the contract's counting rules.
- Owner - the person who must decide and act.
- Commitment - the cost of another term if nothing is done.
Spreadsheet or dedicated tracker
| Spreadsheet | NoticeAhead | |
|---|---|---|
| Calculates notice deadlines | Manual formulas | Automatic |
| Recalculates when terms change | Manually | Yes |
| Reminds the owner in time | No | Yes, before the deadline |
| Shows what is at stake | If maintained | Yes |
| Survives staff changes | Sometimes | Yes |
Where expiry trackers fail
- Dates are entered once and never updated when a contract is renegotiated.
- Only the expiry date is tracked, so notice deadlines are missed.
- Rows have no owner, so nobody feels responsible when the week arrives.
- The tracker is a file on one person's drive, invisible to everyone else.
How NoticeAhead tracks expiry
- Register each contract with its term end and notice period.
- NoticeAhead computes the notice deadline and your internal decision deadline.
- Reminders reach the owner before the decision deadline, not the expiry date.
- Every change is logged, so the tracker reflects the current terms.
Common questions
What is a contract expiry tracker?
A record of when each contract ends, together with the notice period, the notice deadline, the owner and the commitment at stake.
Is the expiry date the same as the renewal date?
For auto-renewing contracts the expiry date is when the term would end, but renewal happens automatically before that unless notice is served. The renewal date is the same date - which is why the notice deadline matters more.
What is the difference between the expiry date and the notice deadline?
The expiry date is the end of the current term. The notice deadline is expiry minus the notice period - usually weeks or months earlier, and the last date you can act.
Can I track contract expiry in a spreadsheet?
You can store dates in a spreadsheet, but formulas must be maintained, ownership is unclear and reminders are manual. A spreadsheet does not warn anyone before the deadline.
Should I track expiry or renewal?
Track the notice deadline. It protects you whether the contract expires, renews automatically or rolls over month to month.
What happens if I miss the notice deadline?
The contract renews on its existing terms for another term. There is usually no way to undo it after the deadline has passed.
Track expiry without the spreadsheet
Add your first contracts and let NoticeAhead compute the deadlines and reminders.
See plans