When the work with a freelancer runs longer than planned, extend their live Contract before it ends. The freelancer keeps working and invoicing under the same Contract, and nobody has to repeat onboarding or sign a new agreement.

Who can do this: The Contract's creator, admins, and team members whose role and Team let them edit that Contract.

Availability: Available in every account that uses Contracts.

Your workspace may use different names for Contracts, Tasks or Projects, such as Engagements.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Before you start

  • Extend the Contract several working days before its end date. The new date applies only after the change is accepted. If the change is still waiting when the end date arrives, the change is cancelled and the Contract ends.
  • If your Contract has Tasks, check the end date of the Project they belong to. A Task can't end after its Project, so you may need to extend the Project first.
  • Have any required details ready, such as a PO number or other required custom fields. A change with a required field left blank won't save.
  • A Contract can have only one open change request at a time.

Extend the Project end date (if needed)

Do this first if the new date is later than the Project's end date. Otherwise, skip to the next section.

  1. Go to Tasks & Projects → Projects and open the Project linked to the Contract's Tasks.
  2. Click Actions and select Edit project.
  3. Under Start/End date, change the end date to the new date or later.
  4. Click Save changes.

The Project shows the new end date, and later dates become available on the Contract's Tasks.

Extend the Contract

  1. Go to Contracts and open the Contract.
  2. Click Actions and select Change Contract.
  3. Change the Contract end date to the new date.
  4. If your Contract has Tasks, change each Task's end date in the Contract Tasks section to match the work you expect.
  5. (Optional) Update a Task's fee or hours, or click Add another Task to add a Task for the extra period with its own dates and fee.
  6. Fill in any required fields that are blank.
  7. Click Update Contract. On Fixed Rate Contracts, click Next, check the Summary, then click Update Contract.

This creates a change request. The Contract's status changes to Change req. (or stays Ending soon if it's close to its end date), and the change shows on the Change History tab. The people set to accept change requests on your Contract template get an email. This is usually only the freelancer, but some accounts add a review by your team first. The end date changes once everyone has accepted.

To check that it worked, open the Contract after the change is accepted and look at the end date, or check the Activity log tab. For who accepts and in what order, see How to Submit and Track a Contract Change Request.

What the freelancer sees

The freelancer gets an email asking them to review and accept the change. Until they accept, the Contract keeps its current end date. If the end date is close, remind them to accept it.

Good to know

  • Check fees after you change the dates. On Contracts paid a fixed amount each week, two weeks or month, the automatic invoices continue for the extra periods. For other fees, a Task's fee or hours set how much can be invoiced, and they don't grow with the dates. If more work is expected, raise the fee or hours, or add a Task for the extension.
  • Change Task dates from the Contract. Use Change Contract so the Contract and its Tasks stay in step.
  • One-year limit on some Contracts. Agent of Record (AOR) Contracts and Contracts with contractor insurance can't end more than one year after their start date. You'll see "Contract fixed duration is longer than one year". For longer work, create a new Contract when this one ends.
  • Some end dates are locked. On AOR Contracts, only teammates whose role includes Can edit compliance data of Contracts they have access to can change the end date. If no one on your team can, contact Worksuite Support.
  • No bulk extension. You can't extend many Contracts at once yourself. Worksuite Support can do it for you (see Troubleshooting).
  • If the Contract isn't live yet, Change Contract edits it directly instead of creating a change request. Saving sends the Contract back through its review and acceptance steps.
  • Once a Contract has ended, you can't change its end date. See What to Do When a Contract Ends, Expires or Is Cancelled for your options.
  • Change only the end date. To change only the Contract end date without asking the freelancer, click Actions and select Set end Contract date. Task dates and fees don't change, and the freelancer isn't asked to accept. This option isn't available on Agent of Record (AOR) Contracts.

Troubleshooting

"End date must not be later than" a date

The Task can't end after its Project. Extend the Project end date first (see above), then change the Task end date again. A similar message appears for start dates, and dates outside the Project show greyed out in the calendar.

Nothing happens when I click Update Contract

A date usually falls outside the Project's dates, or a required field is blank. Extend the Project end date, fill in any required fields, and try again.

The end date is greyed out, or I don't see Change Contract

Your role doesn't let you edit this Contract, the Contract type locks the end date, or the Contract already has an open change request. Ask the Contract creator or an admin to make the change. For AOR Contracts, ask a teammate whose role includes Can edit compliance data of Contracts they have access to, or contact Worksuite Support if no one can.

I need to fix an extension I already sent

While the change request is open, click Actions and select Cancel Change Request. Then submit a corrected one.

The Contract ended even though I extended it

The change request wasn't accepted before the end date, so it was cancelled. You can't change the end date of an ended Contract. See What to Do When a Contract Ends, Expires or Is Cancelled.

I need to extend many Contracts

Contact Worksuite Support with:

  • A link to each Contract
  • The new end date for each one
  • Whether the freelancers should be notified

Support/Resources

Still have questions about extending a Contract? Click Support in the bottom-left corner of Worksuite to contact our Support team, or email support@worksuite.com. Including a link to the page you're on and a screenshot helps us answer faster.