A services agreement for designers, developers, writers, photographers and consultants, written in plain English. It sets out the work, the price, when you get paid and who owns the result. Fill in the brackets, pick your options and delete the guidance.
Free, no email needed. 5 pages, in English. Updated .
What is inside the template
8 sections, in the order a client reads them, each with short guidance you delete before sending.
The work
The deliverables, the number of revision rounds and a "not included" line, written so a stranger could tell when the job is finished.
Timeline and what the client provides
Your dates, the client’s deadlines for materials and feedback, and a line that moves the schedule when those arrive late.
Fees and payment
Pick a fixed fee, an hourly rate with an estimate, or a monthly retainer, then set the deposit and the number of days each invoice is due in.
Late payment
When work pauses for an unpaid invoice, an optional late fee you check against local rules, and who pays third-party costs.
Changes
Extra work or rounds get a written price and time first, and start only once the client approves it.
Who owns the work
Either copyright passes to the client on full payment, or you keep it and grant a licence. You keep your tools, templates and earlier work.
Confidentiality and working relationship
A short mutual confidentiality clause, and a line that you work as an independent business, not an employee.
Ending the agreement, liability and signatures
Notice to end, payment for work done, an optional kill fee, a liability cap to have checked locally, and signature lines for both sides.
Plus a filled-in example
The same agreement completed for a fictional freelance copywriter and a bakery: five web pages, two revision rounds, a $2,400 fixed fee with a 50% deposit, invoices due in 14 days and ownership passing on payment. Use it to see what “specific” looks like; your numbers will differ.
What freelancer laws require in the contract
New York City, New York State and Illinois have laws that set rules for freelance contracts. If one applies to you, check that your filled-in agreement covers what it asks for. This is general information from the official sources linked in each row, not legal advice.
New York City
Freelance Isn’t Free Act (Local Law 140 of 2016). In force: May 15, 2017.
Applies to
Work worth $800 or more, counting every agreement with the same client that totals $800 in any 120-day period.
The contract
In writing, setting out the work you will do, the pay for the work and the date you get paid.
Payment due
On or before the date in the contract. With no date, within 30 days after you complete the work.
Freelance Isn’t Free Act (General Business Law Article 44-A). In force: August 28, 2024.
Applies to
Work worth $800 or more, alone or together with all contracts with the same client in the previous 120 days. Some sales representatives, lawyers, licensed medical professionals and construction contractors are excluded.
The contract
In writing, with the name and mailing address of both sides; an itemized list of the services, their value, and the rate and method of pay; the payment date or how it will be set; and the date you must submit a list of the services you delivered. The client keeps the contract for at least six years.
Payment due
On or before the date in the contract. With no date, within 30 days after you complete the work.
Freelance Worker Protection Act. In force: July 1, 2024 (contracts signed after that date).
Applies to
Work worth $500 or more over a 120-day period, including several contracts with the same client. The work is done in Illinois or for an Illinois-based client. Construction workers, employees, and people contracted by federal, state, local or foreign governments are excluded.
The contract
The name and contact information of both sides, an itemized list of the products and services, the rate and method of pay, the date payment is due, and the dates the services will be provided.
Payment due
By the due date in the contract. With no date, within 30 days of completing the services.
Other cities and states may have their own rules, and each law has exceptions and remedies not listed here. Read the official page for the place where you and your client work. Checked .
How to use it
Download the PDF to read it, or the Word file to edit it. The Word file also opens in Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice.
Replace every [bracket] with your project’s details, pick one option wherever there is a choice and delete the italic guidance.
Write a real payment date or a clear number of days that meets your local rule, and decide who owns the work before you start.
Have it checked by a lawyer where you and your client work, then send it for both of you to sign and keep a signed copy each.
Sending contracts to clients every week? Workspace369 Contracts lets clients verify their email and sign online, and keeps the signed copy with its audit trail. See Workspace369 Contracts. Our #1 pick is Workspace369.
Where the free freelance contracts went
Four free contracts that older articles still link to are no longer there. Here is what each one was, what its old link shows today and an archived copy of the original. Checked .
Shake
shakelaw.com
A mobile app from Shake for creating, signing and sending short legal agreements from a phone.
Now: The domain now shows an unrelated gambling site.
The template on this page covers the same ground in one free download: the work, the fee and payment dates, late payment, changes, ownership and ending the agreement.
Questions about the template
Is the freelance contract template free?
Yes. Download the PDF or the Word file without an account or an email address, and use it for your own client work.
What should a freelance contract include?
Who the two parties are, the work and what is not included, the timeline, the fee and how it is calculated, the deposit and when each invoice is due, what happens with late payment and changes, who owns the finished work, confidentiality, how either side can end the agreement, and both signatures.
Does the law require a written freelance contract?
It depends on where you work. In New York City, contracts worth $800 or more, including agreements with the same client that add up to $800 in any 120-day period, must be in writing and must state the work, the pay and the payment date, according to the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection. New York State added the Freelance Isn’t Free Act (General Business Law Article 44-A) on August 28, 2024, with its own rules, according to the state Department of Labor. Illinois’ Freelance Worker Protection Act covers contracts signed after July 1, 2024 for work worth $500 or more over 120 days, done in Illinois or for an Illinois-based client, according to the Illinois Department of Labor. Check the rules where you and your client are.
Should my freelance contract say the work is “work made for hire”?
Usually not. Under US law, commissioned work by a freelancer counts as work made for hire only if it falls into one of nine categories and both sides sign a written agreement saying so, according to the US Copyright Office (Circular 30). For most freelance work, a written assignment of copyright on full payment, as in this template, is the clearer route.
Can I edit the template in Google Docs?
Yes. Upload the Word (.docx) file to Google Drive and open it with Google Docs. It also opens in Microsoft Word, Apple Pages and LibreOffice.
Is this template legal advice?
No. It is general information and a starting point. Laws on contracts, payment, late fees, ownership and liability differ by country, state and city, so have it checked by a lawyer where you and your client work before you rely on it.
