Force Majeure
Force majeure is contract language for extraordinary events outside a party's reasonable control that prevent or delay performance. In service agreements and statements of work, it usually covers events such as natural disasters, government actions, major infrastructure failures, strikes, war, or other severe disruptions. The clause explains when a missed deadline or interrupted service will not be treated as a normal breach. A useful force majeure clause also defines notice requirements, mitigation duties, payment handling, and whether either party can terminate if the disruption lasts too long.
Example
A software implementation agreement says that neither party is liable for delays caused by a major cloud provider outage, provided the affected party gives prompt notice and resumes work when service is restored.
Direct answer
Learn what force majeure means in service agreements, proposals, and statements of work.
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Primary queryforce majeure meaning
DefinitionForce majeure is contract language for extraordinary events outside a party's reasonable control that prevent or delay performance. In service agreements and statements of work, it usually covers events such as natural disasters, government actions, major infrastructure failures, strikes, war, or other severe disruptions. The clause explains when a missed deadline or interrupted service will not be treated as a normal breach. A useful force majeure clause also defines notice requirements, mitigation duties, payment handling, and whether either party can terminate if the disruption lasts too long.
ExampleA software implementation agreement says that neither party is liable for delays caused by a major cloud provider outage, provided the affected party gives prompt notice and resumes work when service is restored.
Reviewed2026-08-13
Related corpus2 templates, 1 guides, 3 terms
Frequently asked questions
- What does a force majeure clause do?
- It explains how the contract treats severe events outside a party's control that make performance impossible or delayed.
- Does force majeure cancel payment obligations?
- Not automatically. The agreement should state whether payment is paused, still due for completed work, or handled through termination or rescheduling.
- Where does force majeure appear?
- It usually appears in service agreements, statements of work, master services agreements, and other contracts that depend on continued performance over time.