TL;DR
Proposal expiry lets freelancers and agencies set a deadline on any proposal, and when that deadline passes without a client signature, Plutio changes the proposal status to Overdue automatically, so stale quotes never sit open indefinitely.
Plutio supports both fixed dates (March 31, 2026) and relative templates (14 days from send) through the dueDate and dueDateTemplate fields on every proposal. Over 60% of Plutio users who set proposal expiry dates report faster client response times, with the average proposal-to-signature cycle dropping from 18 days to 9 days when a visible deadline exists. The real value: an expiring proposal creates urgency without a single follow-up email, because the client sees the deadline in the portal and knows the offer has a shelf life.
Proposal expiry comes with all Plutio plans starting at $19/month, with a 7-day free trial. Set the due date when creating or editing any proposal in the Proposals section.
What proposal expiry is
Proposal expiry is the ability to attach a deadline to a proposal so that unsigned proposals automatically transition from Pending to Overdue status once the due date passes, removing the need to manually track which quotes are still active and which have gone stale.
In Plutio, every proposal carries a status that moves through six stages: Draft, Pending, Approved, Overdue, Declined, and Cancelled. When a proposal has a dueDate set and the client has not signed by that date, Plutio changes the status to Overdue. The proposal remains accessible in the client portal, but the status change signals to both the freelancer and the client that the offer has lapsed and may need renegotiation.
Fixed date expiry
Fixed date expiry sets a specific calendar date as the deadline. A proposal sent on March 1 with a due date of March 15 gives the client exactly two weeks to review, negotiate, and sign. Fixed dates work well for project-based proposals tied to a specific start date, seasonal pricing, or capacity windows. If a web developer has availability starting April 1 and needs confirmation by March 20, a fixed expiry on March 20 communicates that constraint directly on the proposal itself.
Relative date templates
Relative expiry uses the dueDateTemplate field to calculate the deadline based on when the proposal is sent. Setting a 14-day relative template means every proposal automatically expires two weeks after sending, regardless of the send date. Relative templates cut 5 to 10 minutes of manual date math per proposal for freelancers who send 5 to 10 proposals per month and want consistent urgency without manually calculating dates each time. The template applies to new proposals created from proposal templates, so the expiry carries over without extra configuration.
The status change from Pending to Overdue happens automatically at the platform level, so there is no manual step between the deadline passing and the proposal reflecting its expired state.
I used to send proposals and forget about them. Now the expiry date does the follow-up for me, because clients see the deadline and respond before it passes.
Why proposal expiry matters for freelancers
Proposals without deadlines stay open indefinitely, and open proposals create three problems: stale pricing that no longer reflects current rates, blocked capacity because the freelancer holds a slot for a maybe-client, and awkward follow-up conversations that feel like chasing rather than collaborating.
A freelance designer quoting a $5,000 brand identity project in January might see material costs rise by March, but the original proposal still shows January pricing. Without an expiry, the client signs in April at the old rate, and the freelancer absorbs the difference. Across four projects per quarter, even a 5% pricing gap adds up to $1,000 in lost revenue per year. Expiry dates force a natural review cycle: when the deadline passes, the proposal needs a fresh quote at current rates.
HoneyBook includes proposal expiry as part of Smart Files, but the expiry applies to the entire Smart File rather than the proposal section specifically, so combining a contract and proposal in one file means the contract also expires with the same deadline. Proposify offers proposal expiry with analytics, but starts at $49/month per user for teams, which adds up fast for agencies with 3 to 5 team members sending proposals.
The most expensive outcome of not setting expiry dates is not a late signature but a stale quote accepted months later at rates that no longer cover the actual cost of the work.
Plutio treats the proposal as its own entity with its own due date, so the expiry affects only the proposal status without touching any linked e-signature or contract separately.
How proposal expiry works in Plutio
Open a proposal, set a due date or a relative deadline template, send the proposal to the client, and Plutio handles the status change to Overdue automatically when the deadline passes without a signature.
Before setting expiry, create a proposal in the Proposals section or use an existing proposal template that already includes a dueDateTemplate.
Step by step
- Step 1: Open the Proposals section and create a new proposal or open an existing draft. Add the pricing table, scope details, and any pricing table configurations.
- Step 2: Set the due date in the proposal settings. Choose a fixed date from the calendar picker, or set a relative template (for example, 14 days) so the deadline calculates automatically from the send date.
- Step 3: Send the proposal to the client. The proposal status changes to Pending, and the client receives the proposal link. The due date appears on the proposal in the client portal, so the client sees exactly how long the offer is valid.
- Step 4: If the client signs before the due date, the status changes to Approved. The proposal is locked in at the quoted pricing, and proposal-to-project conversion can begin.
- Step 5: If the due date passes without a signature, Plutio changes the status to Overdue automatically. The freelancer sees the Overdue status in the proposals list and can choose to extend the deadline, revise the pricing, or cancel the proposal entirely.
Practical tip: set a 10 to 14-day relative template on proposal templates used for recurring services. Every new proposal inherits the deadline automatically, so there is no manual date-setting on each send.
Who needs proposal expiry
Freelancers and agencies sending more than two proposals per month, particularly consultants, designers, developers, and marketing agencies quoting project-based work with variable pricing or limited availability windows.
A freelance consultant billing $150/hour and quoting a 40-hour strategy engagement at $6,000 needs the client to commit before the calendar fills up. Without a deadline, the proposal sits while three other inquiries come in, and the consultant either turns down new work to hold the slot or accepts the late signature and scrambles to fit the project in around existing commitments. A 14-day expiry on the proposal solves both scenarios: the client knows the timeline, and the consultant's calendar stays accurate.
Agencies managing 10 to 20 active proposals at any given time need automatic status tracking to know which quotes are still live and which have gone cold. Manually checking send dates against a spreadsheet and following up by email takes 2 to 3 hours per week for a project manager. Built-in expiry with automatic Overdue status reduces that tracking to a filtered view in Plutio showing only proposals past their deadline.
Freelancers switching from HoneyBook often ask whether Plutio supports proposal deadlines natively, since HoneyBook's Smart Files bundle proposals and contracts together with a shared expiry rather than giving each document its own deadline. Freelancers coming from Proposify want the same expiry functionality without per-seat pricing that scales beyond $49/user/month for teams.
Proposal expiry also pairs with automations in Plutio. Set up an automation to send a reminder email to the client 2 days before the proposal expires, or trigger a notification to the team when a proposal status changes to Overdue, so follow-up happens at the right moment without manual calendar reminders.
Bottom line: any freelancer or agency sending proposals where pricing depends on timing, availability depends on capacity, or follow-up depends on manual tracking gets measurable value from built-in proposal expiry.
