Updated October 9,2020:

Determining how long does a contract last with no expiration date requires examining the details of the contract in question. For a contract to be valid, it must contain details of the agreement and contain the signatures of both parties. Contracts must be signed by the parties involved in the agreement. To be legal, the signers must be a legal entity, such as a person or an incorporated organization. If an unincorporated business signs the contract, the contract is invalid.

Legally, a date is not required; if there is an expected timeline but a listed date is not on the contract, it is not considered enforceable. If the contract is undated but is marked as "for consideration," it is still valid. "For consideration" shows that each party has something to offer the other.

Dates in Contracts

Dates or timelines in contracts will help determine when the contract will expire. However, in some cases there is information missing that will cause confusion as to when the contract ends.

  • Contracts that state that the agreement will last "for a year" but the contract is not dated will make the contract invalid.
  • If a contract outlines the details of a project outline but does not include the dates on the contract, it may be deemed unenforceable. This applies even if the signature is dated. The project itself must list the expected deadlines.
  • Dates on contracts must be listed to show timeframes. If a contract is missing a date next to the signature, one party can question the validity of the contract.

While legally dates are not required, it is more beneficial to include them. If they are omitted, the other party may see it as an act of bad faith. A contract with dates will also help prove the validity of the contract if legal actions take place in the future.

Contracts for Difference

Cash-based contracts for difference (CFD) do not include expiration dates. CFDs are traded on the stock market and receive an overnight financing rate from the London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR). CFDs are recommended to be used for approximately 10 weeks. Unlike some trades like energies, house prices, and future trades, CFDs don't expire quarterly and can be held for as long as you'd like. With CFDs, you pay an interest charge and, therefore, should never expire.

Reinsurance Contracts

Reinsurance contracts were previously mostly written as open-ended, which meant the reinsurer was covered until all claims had been paid or settled. As the insurance industry has changed, so has this policy. Now, some reinsurance contracts do not include end dates and will continue until a notice of cancellation is given by one of the contract parties.

Other contracts will have termination stipulations in regards to runoff or include cutoff language that will inform the parties when the reinsurer's obligations end. Run-off terms are used to notify the contract parties about their responsibility for claims after the reinsurance contract ends. Normally, the reinsurer will remain liable for any losses related to policies that are in force at the time of expiration.

A term that is used in reinsurance contracts related to the obligation of the parties is "natural expiration" or "natural expiry." The context of these terms depends on how they are used in the reinsurance contract.

Expiration Date in Derivatives

Expiration dates for derivatives, such as options or futures, are the last day the derivative is valid. Investors will have to decide their next course of action on or before the expiration date. They can choose to exercise the option, see their profit or loss by closing the position, or let the contract expire with no value. The expiring contact must close on the "final trading day," which is on or before the expiration date.

In the United States, the expiration for stock options or when the contract ends is normally the third Friday of the contract month. This only changes if the Friday is a holiday. In this scenario, the expiration date is the Thursday before the third Friday. After the expiration date passes, the contract is considered invalid.

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