Why automatic renewals catch teams off guard
A signed contract rarely takes a straight path. It arrives by email, goes out for signature, comes back scanned, then sits in a shared folder. The person who negotiated it changes jobs. Two years later, the contract renews on its own, at the indexed rate, because no one sent notice in time.
Take a fictitious contract, the one used as the example throughout this article: a maintenance services contract between Entretien Boréal inc. (the provider) and Logistique Fleuve inc. (the client), No. CSE-2026-0412, signed in Québec City on January 15, 2026.
- It takes effect on February 1, 2026 for 24 months, until January 31, 2028.
- It renews automatically for 12-month periods, unless written notice of non-renewal is sent at least 90 days before expiry.
- Fees are $4,850.00 a month, plus taxes, indexed by 3% on each anniversary date.
The deadline for sending notice is therefore November 2, 2027. On November 3, it's too late: the contract runs for another year, from February 1, 2028 to January 31, 2029, at $5,145.37 a month after two indexations, or $61,744.44 for the year.
This contract has a way out: either party can terminate it for convenience with 60 days' written notice. Many equipment lease, software and service contracts have no such clause, and the only exit is at expiry.
Three notice periods not to confuse
| Notice | What it lets you do | In the Boréal contract |
|---|---|---|
| Non-renewal | Stop the contract from renewing at expiry | Written notice at least 90 days before January 31, 2028 (section 2) |
| Termination for convenience | Exit mid-term, without cause | 60 days' written notice (section 4) |
| Breach | End the contract if the other party doesn't remedy a serious breach | Termination without further notice if the breach isn't remedied within 15 days of written notice (section 4) |
Your register must at least track the first one. Record the second one too when it exists: it's your room to manoeuvre if the deadline has passed.
The 10 details to record from each contract
| Detail | Why track it | Contract CSE-2026-0412 |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Number and purpose | Find the right contract, tell two contracts with the same supplier apart | CSE-2026-0412, cleaning and preventive ventilation maintenance |
| 2. Parties and signatories | Know who sends the notice, and to whom | Entretien Boréal inc. (Sophie Tremblay); Logistique Fleuve inc. (Daniel Côté) |
| 3. Effective date | Calculate anniversary dates and indexation | February 1, 2026 |
| 4. Expiry date | Starting point for the notice calculation | January 31, 2028 (24 months) |
| 5. Automatic renewal | Know whether the contract renews on its own | Yes, for 12-month periods |
| 6. Non-renewal notice | Notice period and form | Written notice, at least 90 days before expiry |
| 7. Notice deadline | The real date to watch | November 2, 2027 |
| 8. Amount and indexation | Measure what a renewal commits you to | $4,850.00 a month, plus taxes, payable within 30 days, indexed by 3% a year |
| 9. Risk clauses | Insurance, penalties, confidentiality | Liability insurance of at least $2,000,000; $250.00 per missed visit; confidentiality for 2 years after the end |
| 10. Governing law | Know which rules apply in a dispute | Laws of Quebec, judicial district of Québec |
Add two management columns: the person responsible for the contract, and the link to the signed PDF.
Calculate the deadline and keep the register
In Excel or Google Sheets, one row per contract is enough. If the expiry date is in column D and the notice period in days in column F:
- Notice deadline (column G):
=D2-F2 - Alert (column H):
=IF(G2-TODAY()<=30,"Act now","")
For the Boréal contract, 2028-01-31 - 90 gives November 2, 2027, and the alert turns on October 3, 2027. Thirty days leave time to decide: renegotiate, ask for other quotes, or send the notice.
A few rules make the register reliable:
- Sort by notice deadline, not by expiry date.
- Send the notice early and in writing, by a means that keeps proof of delivery. Depending on the wording, "at least 90 days before" may be counted to the date of receipt: don't aim for the last day.
- Update the register with every amendment. An amendment can change the term, the price or the notice period.
- Review it once a month, with the person responsible for each contract.
- Add the deadline to a shared calendar. A spreadsheet stores dates; it doesn't remind anyone.
The slowest part isn't the formula. It's rereading each contract to fill in the columns, and doing it again for every new contract signed.
Example in Scanee: from signed PDF to up-to-date register
Scanee reads your contracts and extracts the fields you define. It doesn't replace your register or your calendar: it fills them in.
1. Create a "Contracts" project
In Create a project, choose the Contracts template. It creates six fields: Party 1 Name, Party 2 Name, Effective Date, Expiration Date, Jurisdiction and Auto-renewal (a checkbox).
With Add field, add what your register needs, for example:
| Field | Type | Description that guides the AI |
|---|---|---|
| Non-renewal notice (days) | Number | Number of days before expiry for the non-renewal notice |
| Monthly fees | Number | Monthly amount before taxes |
| Annual indexation | Text | Rate and timing of indexation |
| Termination for convenience | Text area | Notice and conditions to terminate mid-term |
You can also start from a sample contract: choose Detect with AI, and the AI suggests the fields to extract. See Create fields and Create a project with AI.
2. Drop in the contracts and check them
Drop in the signed PDFs, native or scanned. If several contracts were scanned into one file, turn on Document & PDF Splitting: Scanee separates the contracts and keeps the pages of each contract together.
Each contract opens next to its extracted fields. For the Boréal contract, you check the parties, the dates, the jurisdiction, the Auto-renewal box ticked, the 90-day notice and the $4,850.00 fees.
3. Ask your contracts questions with the AI Assistant
The AI Assistant answers about the open contract or the whole project: "What are the termination terms in the Boréal contract?", "Which contracts renew automatically?", "Which contracts include a penalty?". The search works on meaning, not just exact words.
If you add a field afterwards, ask it to fill it in: it proposes the value, and nothing is saved until you choose Approve this time.
4. Feed the register
The template prepares a Contracts & Agreements (CSV) export, one row per contract, with dates in YYYY-MM-DD format, ready for the formula above. You can also connect the project to Google Sheets or Excel. See Set up an export and Connect Google Sheets or Excel.
Scanee structures the tracking and speeds up the reading. It replaces neither a lawyer's opinion on what a clause means nor the person who decides whether to renew.
Where your contracts are hosted, who can access them and how long they're kept: see Security and privacy and Law 25. The trial lasts 14 days, with no credit card: try Scanee.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between the expiry date and the notice deadline?
The expiry date is the end of the current term. The notice deadline is the last day to tell the other party you won't renew: the expiry date minus the notice period. For a contract ending on January 31, 2028 with 90 days' notice, it's November 2, 2027.
Is an automatic renewal clause valid between businesses in Quebec?
Generally, yes. In 2017, in the Uniprix case (2017 SCC 43), the Supreme Court of Canada gave effect to an automatic renewal clause in a contract between businesses. Consumer contracts follow stricter rules. This article isn't legal advice: for a specific contract, consult a lawyer.
What if the deadline has passed?
Reread the contract: a termination-for-convenience clause sometimes lets you exit mid-term, with notice. Otherwise, negotiate with the supplier, and record the next deadline in your register.
Can the AI read a scanned or photographed contract?
Yes. Scanee reads native PDFs, scanned PDFs and images. Still check each date and amount next to the document, especially on a poor-quality copy.
Can I add a field to contracts already imported?
Yes. Add the field to the project, then ask the AI Assistant to fill it in for the contracts concerned, approving each suggestion. Each exchange with the AI Assistant uses credits.
Will Scanee remind me before the deadline?
No. Scanee extracts the information and feeds your register or spreadsheet. Reminders are set in your spreadsheet, your calendar or your management tool.