Freelance contract template
A freelance contract is the agreement between a freelancer and a client for one project: what you'll deliver, how many rounds of changes are included, when you get paid, and when the client owns the work. This one is written from the freelancer's side, for writers, designers, developers, illustrators and editors. Read it below, then send it to your client to sign.
Updated November 5, 2026 · 3 min read
The contract
Gray blanks are yours to fill in before you send. Each signer fills in the blanks in their color.
- You, before sending
- Client
- Freelancer (you)
Freelance Contract
This Freelance Contract (the "Contract") is made on Contract date between Freelancer name or business (the "Freelancer") and Client business name (the "Client").
1. The project
The Freelancer will create the following for the Client: Project description
Deliverables: Deliverables (the "Deliverables"), supplied in these formats: File formats, by Delivery date.
2. Revisions
The fee includes Revision rounds included rounds of revisions. A round is one set of combined feedback from the Client on a draft. Further rounds, and changes to work the Client has already approved, are billed at Hourly rate for extra work an hour, or as quoted in writing before the work starts.
3. Fee and payment
The project fee is Project fee. The Client will pay a deposit of Deposit before work starts, and the balance when the final Deliverables are delivered. Each invoice is due within Days to pay days. Payment method: Payment method.
4. Late payment
An unpaid invoice carries a late fee of Late fee for each month it is overdue, or the highest amount the law allows if that is lower. If an invoice is more than Days overdue before pause days overdue, the Freelancer may pause work until it is paid, and deadlines move by the length of the pause.
5. The Client's part
The Client will provide the content, materials, access and feedback the project needs, and will reply to each draft within Feedback days business days. If the Client is late, the delivery date moves to match. If the Client does not respond at all for Days of silence before closing days, the Freelancer may invoice for the work done so far and close the project.
The Client confirms it has the right to use any material it gives the Freelancer, and is responsible for checking the final Deliverables for legal, factual and trademark issues before using them.
6. Cancellation
The Client may cancel the project at any time by written notice. If it does, the Client will pay the greater of a kill fee of Kill fee or the value of the work done to date at the hourly rate in section 2. The deposit counts toward that amount. The Client receives rights only in work it has paid for.
7. Ownership
When the Client has paid everything due under this Contract, the Freelancer assigns to the Client all rights in the final Deliverables. Until then, the Freelancer owns them and the Client may not use them. Drafts, rejected concepts, source files not listed as Deliverables, and the Freelancer's tools, templates and know-how stay with the Freelancer.
The Freelancer may show the Deliverables in their portfolio and on their website once the Client has made them public. If the project must stay private, the Client initials here: Initials: no portfolio
8. Independent business
The Freelancer is an independent business, not the Client's employee, and is responsible for their own taxes, equipment and working hours. The Freelancer may work for other clients.
9. Originality and limits
The Freelancer confirms that the Deliverables will be their own original work, except for material the Client supplied and third-party material the Client approved, such as licensed fonts, stock images or code libraries, which are used under their own licenses. The Freelancer's total liability under this Contract is limited to the fees the Client has paid under it.
10. General
This Contract is governed by the laws of the state of State. It is the whole agreement for this project, and any change must be agreed in writing by both parties, which may be by email. Electronic signatures count as original signatures.
Client billing contact
Name: Billing contact name Email: Billing email
For the Client
Freelancer
Opens it in SignMaster as a template you can edit and send.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a lawyer review it for your state and situation.
On this page
Why freelancers need it more than clients
A client can always stop paying; a freelancer can't take the work back once it's delivered. The contract is how you get paid on time: a deposit before you start, invoices with a due date, a late fee, and ownership that passes only when the last invoice is paid. It also stops a three-page brief from becoming a twelve-page one at the same price.
In some places the law expects one. New York City, New York State and Illinois, among others, have freelance worker laws that require a written contract for jobs above a set amount, with the pay and its due date in it, and that penalize clients who pay late.
What the template covers
- The project: a description, the deliverables, the file formats you'll hand over and the delivery date.
- Revisions: how many rounds are included, what counts as a round, and the rate for more.
- Fee and deposit: a fixed fee, a deposit before work starts, and the balance on delivery.
- Late payment: a due date for every invoice, a late fee, and the right to pause work.
- The client's part: content, feedback and approvals on time, with the deadline moving if they're late, and a way to close a project that's gone quiet.
- Cancellation: a kill fee if the client walks away partway through.
- Rights: the client owns the final deliverables once paid in full; you keep drafts, rejected ideas and your own tools.
- Portfolio: your right to show the work after it's public, unless the client initials a request to keep it private.
Mistakes freelancers make
- Starting before the deposit lands. A signed contract plus a paid deposit is a client; a signed contract alone is a hope.
- Unlimited revisions. Write a number. Two rounds is common; after that, changes are billed at your rate.
- Transferring rights on delivery instead of on payment. If ownership passes before the client pays, you've given away your leverage.
- Vague deliverables. "A website" or "some blog posts" mean different things to each side. Count pages, words, images or minutes.
- No end date for feedback. If the client goes silent for a month, the contract should let you invoice what's done and close the project.
Hiring rather than freelancing?
If you're the business bringing someone in, the independent contractor agreement is written from your side, with insurance, confidentiality and tax status in more detail.
How to send it with SignMaster
- 1
Open the template
Choose Use this template above. It opens with your client signing first and you countersigning, so you only sign a version they've accepted.
- 2
Write the project into it
Fill the gray blanks from your quote: deliverables, formats, delivery date, revision rounds, fee, deposit, late fee and kill fee. Your client fills in their billing contact.
- 3
Send it with your deposit invoice
Email it with a short note, and send the deposit invoice from your usual invoicing tool. SignMaster handles the signature, not the payment.
- 4
Let reminders follow up
Turn on automatic reminders and a sign-by date, so a busy client gets nudged without you writing another "just checking in" email.
- 5
Start on the signed copy
When the client signs, countersign. Both of you get the PDF and its certificate of completion, and you can start work the day the deposit clears.
Reuse it for every client
Save the template once with your usual numbers filled in, such as your hourly rate and late fee, and each new project takes a minute: pick the template, fill in the scope and price, send. If you also work on monthly retainers, the retainer agreement covers ongoing work, and Alana, SignMaster's assistant, can start a draft from your template for a client you name.
Questions? Answers.
Do freelancers need a written contract?
It's the only reliable way to agree the scope and payment terms, and in New York City, New York State and Illinois the law requires one for jobs above a set amount.
What's a kill fee?
A fee the client pays if they cancel a project partway through. It pays you for time you'd reserved and can't easily fill. In this template, the deposit counts toward it.
When should the client own the work?
When you've been paid in full. This template transfers rights in the final deliverables on full payment, and keeps your drafts and tools yours.
Can my client sign without creating an account?
Yes. They sign from a link in their email on any phone or computer. Nothing to download.