---
title: Expiration Rule
description: "The ***Expiration Rule*** defines the rule for calculating the official expiration date of futures contract. In combination with *Futures Symbol Format*, it is used by **Rollover Management** to automatically build the symbol of a **FUTURES** instrument. Its use is mandatory…"
url: "https://www.overcharts.com/en/helpcenter/docs/expiration-rule/"
updated: "2023-01-03"
category: Instruments
---

# Expiration Rule

The ***Expiration Rule*** defines the rule for calculating the official expiration date of futures contract. In combination with *Futures Symbol Format*, it is used by **Rollover Management** to automatically build the symbol of a **FUTURES** instrument. Its use is mandatory ONLY in futures with Rollover Management enabled (continuous futures).

**Expiration Rule** and Futures Symbol Format are used **ONLY** for **FUTURES** instruments and ONLY if **Rollover Management** is **enabled** in the instrument configuration.
*Expiration Rule defines the rule for calculating the official expiration date of futures contract. Futures Symbol Format instead contains rules for constructing the futures symbol and specifically the month and year of expiration.*

We also recommend you read [Rollover documentation](https://www.overcharts.com/en/helpcenter/docs/futures-rollover/) carefully. It will help you better understand how the Expiration Rule is used and where.

**Warnings:**

If the Expiration Rule or Futures Symbol Format are not set correctly, the futures symbol will be incorrect and NOT recognizable from the data-feed. Consequently you will NOT receive any data and you will NOT be able to trade.
The instrument symbol MUST always be the same as the symbol used by data-feed to identify the instrument. If you have any doubts, please refer to the data-feed official platform and/or ask their support.

There are many preconfigured Expiration Rules in Overcharts. If the correct Expiration Rule for your futures instrument is not listed (very rare), create a new one.

#### **Access Expiration-Rule list**

You can access Expiration-Rule list in one of the following ways:

**1.** From *Overcharts main window* >***Instrument*****s**Tab > ***Expiration Rules***button

**2.** From *Overcharts main window* > ***Instruments*** menu > *Expiration Rules*

#### **Create or Modify an Expiration-Rule**

To create/modify an Expiration-Rule:

**1.** Access Expiration-Rule list

**2.** Select the Expiration-Rule to edit and press **Edit** button, or press **New** button to create a new Expiration-Rule. Warning: **You can ONLY modify an Expiration-Rule created by you**. It is not possible to directly modify a preconfigured Expiration Rule. *To modify a preconfigured Expiration Rule you must first copy it by pressing **Copy** button and then modify it.*

**3.** Set or change the following properties:

**Name**: Expiration-Rule unique name

**Set the expiration rule by appropriately combining available **fields**:**

We suggest you view preconfigured Expiration Rules to better understand how to combine available fields and get general rule for calculating the official expiry date of futures contracts (on months defined in *Futures Symbol Format*).

*Example*:

ES (S&P 500) futures expires on the third Friday of March, June, September and December. To get general rule, set available fields as follows:

![](https://www.overcharts.com/en/helpcenter/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/expiration-rule1.png)

#### **How to use it**

Expiration-Rule must be set in the configuration of a FUTURES instrument with Rollover Management enabled.