Days off at the end of a contract: terminate early or take time off?

[mavster07]

SueEllen is right - give notice a month out (or whatever your notice is) from when you want to finish. But if they are a good client and you think they may want to renew, be honest with them and say its a planned holiday. Also give them the option of picking up the remaining days when you return (at least you have some work then) or setting up a new contract for when you are available again. Don't ask, don't get !

[Wanderer]

in general I'd rather not terminate - first of all I might be able to squeeze at least a couple of days at the very end of a contract just after the break and like others have said there might be an extension, which if I don't terminate is simply signing a new schedule

It's decided then. Just tell them you are "unavailable" on those days. You don't need to go into detail of if it's a holiday, another client etc, think of it as a business to business thing rather than a permietractor.

my only concern is that the deadline slips (inevitably) and I will be asked to come and do some work, which I won't, which will hurt the relationship much worse

That's just going to be a business risk - for both parties. You may not be able to come back and they may not be able to get you back on site. But that's a risk for the client really, they can't keep you dangling and not taking on other work on the off chance that they want to extend you. If they want to guarantee your services then they have to book it in with a contract extension up front, not at the 11th hour.

Still tricky one though.