When a gift is sent with a celebration or spot celebration, the recipient chooses their reward whenever they get to it. Without an expiration window, that gift stays open indefinitely.
That creates two practical problems. Budget stays committed against gifts that may never be claimed, making it harder to forecast. And a reward selected months after it was sent may no longer be available in the catalog, which turns a nice moment into a support ticket.
Setting an expiration period closes both gaps.
What this applies to
Expiration applies to unclaimed gifts across all celebration types:
Birthdays
Work anniversaries
New hire celebrations
Spot celebrations
Gifts that have already been claimed are unaffected.
How to set it up
Navigate to
app.hithrive.com/admin/rewards/settingsToggle on Auto-expire unclaimed gifts
Enter your Expiration period, the number of days after the gift is sent before it expires
Click Save
The expiration period accepts whole numbers only, with a minimum of one day.
You must be assigned as a HiThrive Admin to access these settings.
Choosing a window
There's no single right answer, but a few things are worth weighing.
Shorter windows keep your budget picture clean and reduce the odds of a catalog mismatch. They also create more pressure on recipients, particularly anyone out on leave or in a role where they aren't checking Slack daily.
Longer windows are more forgiving but hold budget open longer.
Most teams land somewhere in the 30 to 60 day range. If your workforce includes shift workers, field staff, or anyone with limited access during the workday, lean toward the longer end.
What happens when a gift expires
Once the expiration period passes, the gift can no longer be claimed. The recipient will not be able to select a reward from that celebration.
⚠️ Expiration is permanent. Consider your window carefully before enabling, and let your team know if you're introducing this to an existing program where people may be sitting on unclaimed gifts.
Before you turn this on
If your organization has been running without expiration, there may be a backlog of unclaimed gifts that would fall outside your new window immediately. Check your outstanding gifts before enabling, and consider giving your team a heads up so anyone holding an old gift has a chance to claim it.