General legal information about contract terms in the UK, not legal advice.
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Time of the essence

Making time “of the essence” means a deadline is so important that missing it entitles the other party to terminate, even if the delay is short.

Prepared by a retired English qualified solicitor (LLB, LLM) · reviewed · applies across the UK unless stated · how we draft

In more detail

Time is not usually of the essence unless the contract says so or the circumstances clearly require it.

Put it into a contract

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Reviewed 2026-09-24. General legal information, not legal advice.