diff --git a/lib/actor.js b/lib/actor.js
index 8ba44d5..086e698 100644
--- a/lib/actor.js
+++ b/lib/actor.js
@@ -9,7 +9,7 @@ const { Subject } = require('rxjs');
 const { stop } = require('./functions');
 
 class Actor {
-  constructor (parent, name, system, f) {
+  constructor (parent, name, system, f, { shutdown } = {}) {
     this.parent = parent;
     if (!name) {
       name = `anonymous-${parent.children.size}`;
@@ -31,6 +31,13 @@ class Actor {
     this.mailbox = new Queue();
     this.immediate = undefined;
     this.parent.childSpawned(this);
+    if (shutdown) {
+      if (!shutdown.duration) {
+        throw new Error('Shutdown should be specified as a duration. It is recommended to use the after() function to do this');
+      }
+      this.shutdownPeriod = shutdown.duration;
+      this.timeout = setTimeout(() => this.stop(), this.shutdownPeriod);
+    }
   }
 
   static serializeErr (err) {
@@ -47,6 +54,10 @@ class Actor {
 
   dispatch (message, sender = new Nobody(this.system)) {
     this.assertNotStopped();
+    if (this.shutdownPeriod) {
+      clearTimeout(this.timeout);
+      setTimeout(() => this.stop(), this.shutdownPeriod);
+    }
     if (!this.busy) {
       this.handleMessage(message, sender);
     } else {
@@ -61,7 +72,7 @@ class Actor {
 
     timeout = Actor.getSafeTimeout(timeout);
     const timeoutHandle = setTimeout(() => { deffered.reject(new Error('Query Timeout')); }, timeout);
-    deffered.promise.then(() => clearTimeout(timeoutHandle)).catch(() => {});
+    deffered.promise.then(() => clearTimeout(timeoutHandle)).catch(() => { });
 
     let tempReference = new TemporaryReference(deffered);
     this.dispatch(message, tempReference);
@@ -82,7 +93,7 @@ class Actor {
     if (this.immediate) {
       clearImmediate(this.immediate);
     }
-    this.parent.childStopped(this);
+    this.parent && this.parent.childStopped(this);
     this.reference && dereference(this.reference);
     delete this.reference;
     delete this.parent;
@@ -149,10 +160,10 @@ class Actor {
   }
 }
 
-const spawn = (parent, f, name) =>
-  applyOrThrowIfStopped(parent, p => p.assertNotStopped() && new Actor(p, name, p.system, f).reference);
+const spawn = (parent, f, name, properties) =>
+  applyOrThrowIfStopped(parent, p => p.assertNotStopped() && new Actor(p, name, p.system, f, properties).reference);
 
-const spawnStateless = (parent, f, name) =>
+const spawnStateless = (parent, f, name, properties) =>
   spawn(parent, function (state, msg, ctx) {
     try {
       f.call(ctx, msg, ctx);
@@ -160,7 +171,7 @@ const spawnStateless = (parent, f, name) =>
       console.error(e);
     }
     return true;
-  }, name);
+  }, name, properties);
 
 module.exports.spawn = spawn;
 module.exports.spawnStateless = spawnStateless;
diff --git a/lib/index.js b/lib/index.js
index eb247bc..9e3fe70 100644
--- a/lib/index.js
+++ b/lib/index.js
@@ -1,9 +1,11 @@
 const { spawn, spawnStateless } = require('./actor');
 const { stop, state$, query, dispatch } = require('./functions');
 const { spawnPersistent, configurePersistence } = require('./persistence');
+const { after } = require('./utils');
 module.exports = {
   ...require('./system'),
   spawn,
+  after,
   spawnStateless,
   query,
   dispatch,
diff --git a/lib/persistence/persistent-actor.js b/lib/persistence/persistent-actor.js
index 3869b87..8d6e1da 100644
--- a/lib/persistence/persistent-actor.js
+++ b/lib/persistence/persistent-actor.js
@@ -5,8 +5,8 @@ const { Promise } = require('bluebird');
 const freeze = require('deep-freeze-node');
 
 class PersistentActor extends Actor {
-  constructor (parent, name, system, f, key, persistenceEngine) {
-    super(parent, name, system, f);
+  constructor (parent, name, system, f, key, persistenceEngine, properties = {}) {
+    super(parent, name, system, f, properties);
     if (!key) {
       throw new Error('Persistence key required');
     }
@@ -62,7 +62,7 @@ class PersistentActor extends Actor {
 }
 
 const { applyOrThrowIfStopped } = require('../references');
-const spawnPersistent = (reference, f, key, name) =>
+const spawnPersistent = (reference, f, key, name, properties) =>
   applyOrThrowIfStopped(
     reference,
     parent => applyOrThrowIfStopped(
diff --git a/lib/utils.js b/lib/utils.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..55849a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/utils.js
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+class After {
+  constructor (amount) {
+    this._amount = amount;
+    Object.freeze(this);
+  }
+
+  get hours () {
+    return { duration: (this._amount * 60 * 60 * 1000) | 0 };
+  }
+
+  get hour () {
+    return this.hours;
+  }
+
+  get minutes () {
+    return { duration: (this._amount * 60 * 1000) | 0 };
+  }
+
+  get minute () {
+    return this.minutes;
+  }
+
+  get seconds () {
+    return { duration: (this._amount * 1000) | 0 };
+  }
+
+  get second () {
+    return this.seconds;
+  }
+
+  get milliseconds () {
+    return { duration: this._amount | 0 };
+  }
+  get millisecond () {
+    return this.milliseconds;
+  }
+}
+
+const after = (amount) => new After(amount);
+
+module.exports = {
+  after
+};
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 80b6e87..3baf11c 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "nact",
-  "version": "3.1.5",
+  "version": "3.2.0",
   "description": "nact ⇒ node.js + actors = your services have never been so µ",
   "main": "lib/index.js",
   "scripts": {
diff --git a/test/actor.js b/test/actor.js
index bee43ce..05baa91 100644
--- a/test/actor.js
+++ b/test/actor.js
@@ -5,10 +5,10 @@ const chai = require('chai');
 const chaiAsPromised = require('chai-as-promised');
 chai.use(chaiAsPromised);
 chai.should();
-const { start, spawn, spawnStateless, dispatch, stop, query, state$ } = require('../lib');
+const { start, spawn, after, spawnStateless, dispatch, stop, query, state$ } = require('../lib');
 const { Promise } = require('bluebird');
 const { LocalPath } = require('../lib/paths');
-const delay = Promise.delay;
+const delay = Promise.delay.bind(Promise);
 const { applyOrThrowIfStopped } = require('../lib/references');
 
 const spawnChildrenEchoer = (parent, name) =>
@@ -176,7 +176,7 @@ describe('Actor', function () {
       console.error = ignore;
       let child = spawnStateless(system, (msg) => { throw new Error('testError'); });
       dispatch(child);
-      delay(50);
+      await delay(50);
       isStopped(child).should.not.be.true;
     });
 
@@ -195,6 +195,35 @@ describe('Actor', function () {
     });
   });
 
+  describe('timeout', function () {
+    let system;
+    beforeEach(() => { system = start(); });
+    afterEach(() => {
+      stop(system);
+      // reset console
+      delete console.error;
+    });
+
+    it('should automatically stop after timeout if timeout is specified', async function () {
+      console.error = ignore;
+      let child = spawnStateless(system, (msg) => {}, 'test', { shutdown: after(100).milliseconds });
+      await delay(110);
+      isStopped(child).should.be.true;
+    });
+
+    it('should automatically renew timeout after message', async function () {
+      let child = spawnStateless(system, ignore, 'test1', { shutdown: after(60).milliseconds });
+      await delay(30);
+      dispatch(child, {});
+      await delay(40);
+      isStopped(child).should.not.be.true;
+    });
+
+    it('should throw if timeout does not include a duration field', async function () {
+      (() => spawnStateless(system, ignore, 'test1', { shutdown: {} })).should.throw();
+    });
+  });
+
   describe('#stop()', function () {
     let system;
     beforeEach(() => { system = start(); });
@@ -224,7 +253,7 @@ describe('Actor', function () {
       let resultPromise = query(child, 2, 100);
       await delay(20);
       stop(child);
-      await resultPromise.should.be.rejectedWith(Error);
+      return resultPromise.should.be.rejectedWith(Error);
     });
 
     it('stops children when parent is stopped', async function () {
@@ -260,7 +289,7 @@ describe('Actor', function () {
       isStopped(child).should.be.true;
     });
 
-    it('should ignore subsequent dispatchs', async function () {
+    it('should ignore subsequent dispatches', async function () {
       let child = spawnStateless(system, () => { throw new Error('Should not be triggered'); });
       stop(child);
       await retry(() => isStopped(child).should.be.true, 12, 10);
diff --git a/test/utils.js b/test/utils.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..11505ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/utils.js
@@ -0,0 +1,29 @@
+/* eslint-env mocha */
+/* eslint-disable no-unused-expressions */
+const chai = require('chai');
+chai.should();
+const { after } = require('../lib');
+
+describe('#after', function () {
+  it('should correctly calculate milliseconds', function () {
+    after(100).milliseconds.duration.should.equal(100);
+    after(1).millisecond.duration.should.equal(1);
+    after(0).milliseconds.duration.should.equal(0);
+  });
+  it('should correctly calculate seconds', function () {
+    after(1).second.duration.should.equal(1000);
+    after(0).seconds.duration.should.equal(0);
+    after(10).seconds.duration.should.equal(10000);
+    after(1.5).seconds.duration.should.equal(1500);
+  });
+
+  it('should correctly calculate minutes', function () {
+    after(1).minute.duration.should.equal(60000);
+    after(0).minutes.duration.should.equal(0);
+  });
+
+  it('should correctly calculate hours', function () {
+    after(1).hour.duration.should.equal(3600000);
+    after(0).hours.duration.should.equal(0);
+  });
+});