Give an offer an end date: signing links that expire
An estimate priced in March shouldn't be signable in August, after material costs have moved. An expiry tells SignMaster to shut every signing link on an envelope after a set number of days, so an old offer can't come back to bite you.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 2 min read
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Expiry or sign-by date?
They sound alike and do opposite things. A sign-by date asks people to hurry and still lets them sign late. An expiry is a hard stop.
| Expiry | Sign-by date | |
|---|---|---|
| After the date | The links stop working and the envelope is marked Expired | The link keeps working; reminders say Overdue |
| Set as | Never, 7, 30, 60 or 90 days after sending | No date, 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks or a date you pick |
| Can change after sending | No | Yes, with Correct |
| Good for | Priced offers, time-limited promotions, anything that goes stale | Deadlines you want met, not enforced |
You can use both: a sign-by date two weeks out to set the pace, and an expiry at 30 days as the backstop. The sign-by date has to fall before the expiry.
Set an expiry
- 1
Prepare the envelope as usual
Add the documents, the people and their fields.
- 2
Choose how long the links live
In Message & settings, open Expires and pick 7, 30, 60 or 90 days. Never is the default.
- 3
Send
The countdown starts when you send. Each signing email tells the person the date the link works until, so the deadline is never a surprise.
Sending in bulk? The same choice is called Link expiry in the bulk send options and applies to every envelope in the batch. For a renewal mailing, Never is the usual pick; for a priced offer, match it to how long the price holds.
What happens when it expires
- Signers who open the link see that it has expired and that they should ask you for a new one.
- The envelope is marked Expired, and its activity shows when it happened.
- Your dashboard warns you first, listing envelopes that expire within a week, and then shows the ones that expired and who hadn't signed.
- Webhooks, on Crew and Company, send an envelope.expired message, so a CRM can mark the deal lost without anyone typing.
You can't extend it
Once sent, an envelope's expiry can't be changed, and an expired envelope can't be reopened. Pick a length you can live with, and when one lapses, start again from the old one, below.
Re-sending after it lapses
If the customer comes back after the link has expired, open the envelope and choose Duplicate as draft. You get a new draft with the same documents, people, fields and message, and nothing signed carried over. Update the price if it changed, then send it as a new envelope, with a new expiry. On Free, the new envelope counts toward your 3 a month.
Questions? Answers.
What's the default expiry?
Never. Links work until the person signs, declines or you void the envelope. Expiry is something you choose per envelope.
Can I set an exact expiry date?
Not a calendar date. You pick a number of days, 7, 30, 60 or 90, counted from the moment you send. The signing email shows the exact date it works until.
Does a signer get warned before the link expires?
The invitation states the date it works until. For reminders that build toward a deadline, add a sign-by date before the expiry.
What about people who already signed?
Their progress stays in the envelope's activity, but the envelope never completes, so no final signed PDF is made. Duplicate it to start a fresh round.