- Fixed-price & hourly billing
- IP ownership clause
- Kill fee terms
- Confidentiality provision
- No signup required
Clauses that protect your freelance business
This isn't a generic service agreement — it's built specifically for freelance engagements, with the clauses that come up in project-based independent work.
What to include in a freelance contract
The difference between a freelancer who gets stiffed and one who gets paid often comes down to three things: how the contract is written, how payment milestones are structured, and how revisions are defined. Here's what the best freelance contracts include.
- Scope of work with explicit exclusions — Listing what's included is good; listing what's explicitly excluded is better. "Build a website" invites endless interpretation. "A 5-page informational website with contact form, hosted on WordPress, including 2 rounds of revisions" is a scope. The clearer your scope, the less room for scope creep.
- Payment milestones tied to deliverables — not time — Avoid payment schedules based on time ("pay monthly for ongoing work") unless you have a retainer arrangement. Tie payments to concrete deliverables: deposit to start, payment on draft delivery, final payment on approval. This creates natural checkpoints where you can evaluate whether to continue.
- A kill fee for early termination — Clients cancel projects. It's not personal — it's business. But cancellation without a kill fee means you worked for free. Your kill fee should cover your sunk costs (the deposit or initial work) plus a portion of the remaining value. A typical kill fee is 25-50% of the uncompleted portion of the contract.
- Define "complete" — and what happens at completion — "Completion" is a loaded term in freelance contracts. Define it precisely: "The project is complete when the Client provides written sign-off on all deliverables, or when 10 business days have passed since the Freelancer delivered final files without a written rejection." Without this, a client who never explicitly approves can later claim the work was never finished.
- Specify how disputes are resolved — Don't leave dispute resolution to chance. A good freelance contract specifies mediation as the first step (cheaper, faster, preserves relationships) and identifies the governing law state. This matters especially if you work across state lines — without a governing law clause, you might end up in a client's home court.
Freelance payment reality
- 70% of freelancers have been stiffed at least once
- $825B in unpaid freelancer invoices (annual)
- 32 days average freelance payment delay (US)
A written contract with clear milestones is your single biggest protection against non-payment. Freelancers with written contracts are paid 18% faster on average.
Works for all freelance types
Web development, Graphic design, Copywriting, Photography, Videography, Consulting, Social media, Video editing, Illustration, UX design.