Automatic Acceptance

What Is Automatic Acceptance?

Automatic acceptance is when a project or phase is legally considered complete—without the client taking any action.

Most contracts rely on the client to formally approve or sign off on deliverables before the work is considered “done.” But what happens if the client goes silent? Or delays approval for weeks?

That’s where automatic acceptance comes in.

It’s the built-in outcome of a well-written acceptance clause that defines not only what happens when a client gives feedback—but what happens when they don’t.

If your contract includes a review window (for example, “5 business days to approve”), and the client fails to respond during that time, the clause kicks in: the work is automatically marked as accepted, and you are legally entitled to move forward, close the project, or request final payment.

No back-and-forth. No follow-ups. No more being stuck in limbo just because someone didn’t hit reply.

How Automatic Acceptance Works

Automatic acceptance is not a separate clause—it’s the triggered result of a properly written acceptance clause. It typically follows this format:

• You deliver the work.

• The contract gives the client a clear window to approve, revise, or respond.

• If they don’t respond within that time, the work is considered accepted automatically—no additional communication or sign-off needed.

That moment of automatic acceptance becomes a legal endpoint in your project. Once it’s triggered, no new requests, edits, or delays are allowed—unless you agree to them.

And more importantly? Final payment is now due.

Automatic acceptance protects your time, your energy, and your cash flow—so you’re not left waiting on clients who ghost, delay, or avoid making a decision.

Acceptance Clause Playbook

Tired of waiting on approvals, getting ghosted, or dragging projects across the finish line?
Go from delivered to done with the Acceptance Clause Playbook. 20 pages of real-world examples, boundary-setting language, and copy-paste clauses you can drop straight into your client agreements. Simple. Clear. Done.

Real-World Example

A designer client of mine offered a full brand and website package. Her contract outlined the deliverables, deadlines, milestones, and payment terms. At each phase, the client gave verbal praise—but after the final delivery, they completely ghosted. No approval. No payment.

Because her contract didn’t include an acceptance clause, there was no legal trigger to declare the project complete.

The client could’ve stayed silent for months—or resurfaced later asking for more revisions. Without a clear cutoff, she had no contractual leverage to say, “This work is done.”

After we added a strong acceptance clause, everything changed.

Her next client had five business days to approve, respond, or raise any concerns. If they didn’t? The work was automatically accepted—and payment was immediately due.

She got paid on time. No chasing. No drama. Just clarity.

Related Glossary Terms

• Scope of Services

• Scope Creep Clause

• Termination Clause

• Deliverables

Last updated: July 2025