---
id: KB-CF-001
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/use-cases-by-capability/tracking-expiry-dates
idioma: en
categoria: casos-por-funcionalidad
audiencia: usuario
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-CR-001, KB-CS-001, KB-TL-004]
citadoPor: [KB-CF-012, KB-CF-014, KB-TZ-014, KB-CF-017, KB-CR-007, KB-CS-004]
---

# Tracking what expires

_The capability that prevents the most trouble: knowing what expires before it does._

**Responde a:** track documents that expire · certificate expiry alerts · how to know which paperwork is about to expire · renew supplier documentation automatically · expiry alerts for insurance and training

Almost every audit finding about documentation is not a missing document: it is one that was there and expired. The file looks complete, nobody checks the dates, and the problem shows up the day somebody checks them for you.

**En corto**

- Each document can carry its own expiry date.
- The alert fires before it lapses, with whatever margin you choose.
- Only what expires is re-requested, not the whole file.
- An expired document is flagged, so a complete file does not mislead.

## What actually expires

| Document | Typical validity | What happens if it lapses |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Tax clearance certificate | Months | Joint liability when paying that supplier |
| Liability insurance | One year | An incident with no cover and nobody to answer for it |
| Safety training | Varies by type | The worker should not be allowed on site |
| Standard certification | One year | A direct finding in your client's audit |
| Medical clearance | One year | Non-compliance at a labour inspection |

## How to set it up

1. **Mark which documents carry an expiry** — Not all of them: an ID document or company deeds do not need this and only add noise.
2. **Decide the warning margin** — Enough time to obtain the new one. For a certificate that takes two weeks to issue, warning three days ahead is useless.
3. **Let the renewal be requested automatically** — When the alert fires, the request for that specific document is re-sent. No need to redo the whole onboarding.

> [!WARNING]
> The most expensive mistake is setting the margin too tight. It has to cover how long the third party takes to obtain the document, not how long you take to ask for it.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does the date have to be typed in by hand?**

It can be requested as data, and on many documents automatic reading takes it from the certificate itself, which is more reliable than typing it.

**Who receives the alert?**

Whoever you choose on your team. The renewal request does go to the third party.

**What happens to the expired document?**

It stays in the history with its date. That is correct: it shows what was valid at each moment.

**Can I see everything expiring this month at a glance?**

Yes, by filtering on expiry. It is the view worth checking once a week.

## Ejemplos

**A company discovers in an audit that four critical suppliers had certificates that expired months earlier.**

- Marks expiry on the certificates of every critical supplier
- Sets the alert at 45 days, which is how long they take to obtain
- Lets the renewal be requested automatically

→ The following year the audit finds none expired, and nobody had to keep a calendar.

**A company with sixty suppliers discovers at an inspection that three insurance policies lapsed months ago.**

- Records the validity date when approving each document
- Lets the warning go out with the lead time the renewal needs
- Checks weekly what expires in the next thirty days

→ Expiries stop being discovered during a visit and start being resolved with weeks to spare.

**The warning fires with two days to go and renewal takes two weeks.**

- Adjusts the lead time to the real duration of the process
- Adds the time the third party takes to reply

→ The warning arrives while action is still possible.

**Warnings fall in August and nobody reads them.**

- Brings forward those expiring in holiday periods

→ Renewals happen before nobody is around.

**The warning goes to somebody who has left.**

- Reviews who the warnings are addressed to

→ The warning reaches somebody who can act.

**The document is renewed and the warning stays red.**

- Checks the recorded date of the new document

→ The warning clears because the figure matches the paper.