A clear contract is the single best protection a freelancer has. A clear contract sets expectations, defines what you will deliver, and makes sure you actually get paid. Yet plenty of freelancers still start projects on a handshake, then lose time and money when scope creeps or a client goes quiet on an invoice.
This page gives you a complete freelance contract template you can use today, for free. First you will see a polished example contract rendered as a real document, so you can picture exactly what a finished agreement looks like. Then there is a plain-text version with [bracketed placeholders] and a one-click copy button, so you can drop it into your own document or into AgencyKit. After that, a checklist of what every freelance contract should include, and a short walkthrough of sending one for e-signature.
The Example Freelance Contract
A realistic freelance service contract, filled in with placeholder details so you can see how the finished document reads. The example uses the same structure as the copy-paste template that follows.
jordan@riveradesign.co
hello@brightleafcoffee.com
The Freelancer agrees to provide the following services and deliverables to the Client:
- Brand identity design: primary logo, one secondary mark, and a color and typography system.
- A one-page brand guidelines document.
- Final files delivered in SVG, PNG, and PDF formats.
Any work not listed above is outside the scope of this Agreement and will be quoted separately.
Work will begin on March 10, 2026 and the Freelancer will deliver the final files on or before April 14, 2026, provided the Client supplies required assets and feedback within three business days of each request.
The total project fee is $3,200 USD, payable as follows:
| Milestone | Amount |
|---|---|
| Deposit due on signing (50%) | $1,600.00 |
| Balance due on final delivery (50%) | $1,600.00 |
| Total | $3,200.00 |
Invoices are due within 14 days. Late payments accrue a fee of 2% per month on the outstanding balance.
The fee includes two rounds of revisions per deliverable. Additional revisions or changes to the agreed scope are billed at the Freelancer's hourly rate of $85 per hour.
The Freelancer retains all rights to the work until full payment is received. On final payment, all intellectual property rights in the final deliverables transfer to the Client. The Freelancer may display the completed work in a portfolio and for self-promotion.
Each party agrees to keep confidential any non-public business, technical, or financial information shared during this engagement, and to use it only to perform this Agreement.
Either party may terminate this Agreement with seven days' written notice. On termination, the Client will pay for all work completed up to the termination date, and the Freelancer will deliver completed work for which payment has been made.
The Freelancer's total liability under this Agreement is limited to the total fees paid by the Client. Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential losses. The Freelancer is an independent contractor, not an employee of the Client.
This Agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Texas, United States.
The names, figures, and dates above are placeholders to illustrate a finished agreement. Swap in your own details using the copy-paste version.
Copy-Paste Plain-Text Template
Copy the template below and replace every [bracketed placeholder] with your own details. This is the plain-text version of the example contract, ready for any document editor or for the AgencyKit contract editor.
FREELANCE SERVICE AGREEMENT This Freelance Service Agreement (the "Agreement") is made effective as of [Effective Date] (the "Effective Date") between: FREELANCER (CONTRACTOR): [Your Name / Business Name] Address: [Your Address] Email: [Your Email] CLIENT: [Client Name / Company Name] Address: [Client Address] Email: [Client Email] 1. SCOPE OF WORK The Freelancer agrees to provide the following services and deliverables to the Client: - [Deliverable 1] - [Deliverable 2] - [Deliverable 3] Any work not listed above is outside the scope of this Agreement and will be quoted separately. 2. TIMELINE Work will begin on [Start Date]. The Freelancer will deliver the final work on or before [Delivery Date], provided the Client supplies required assets and feedback within [Number] business days of each request. 3. FEES AND PAYMENT The total project fee is [Total Amount]. Payment is due as follows: - [Deposit %] deposit of [Deposit Amount] due on signing. - Remaining balance of [Balance Amount] due on [Final Payment Trigger]. Invoices are due within [Number] days. Late payments accrue a fee of [Late Fee %] per month on the outstanding balance. 4. REVISIONS The fee includes [Number] rounds of revisions per deliverable. Additional revisions or changes to the agreed scope are billed at the Freelancer's hourly rate of [Hourly Rate]. 5. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY The Freelancer retains all rights to the work until full payment is received. On final payment, all intellectual property rights in the final deliverables transfer to the Client. The Freelancer may display the completed work in a portfolio and for self-promotion. 6. CONFIDENTIALITY Each party agrees to keep confidential any non-public business, technical, or financial information shared during this engagement, and to use it only to perform this Agreement. 7. TERMINATION Either party may terminate this Agreement with [Number] days' written notice. On termination, the Client will pay for all work completed up to the termination date, and the Freelancer will deliver completed work for which payment has been made. 8. LIABILITY The Freelancer's total liability under this Agreement is limited to the total fees paid by the Client. Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential losses. The Freelancer is an independent contractor, not an employee of the Client. 9. GOVERNING LAW This Agreement is governed by the laws of [State / Country]. SIGNATURES Freelancer: ______________________________ Date: ____________ [Your Name], [Your Business Name] Client: __________________________________ Date: ____________ [Client Name], [Client Company Name]
Tip: Keep One Master Template
Save your filled-in contract as a reusable template. In AgencyKit you can store it once, then generate a fresh, pre-filled copy for each new client in seconds instead of editing a document by hand every time.
What to Include in a Freelance Contract
A freelance contract does not need to be long to be effective, but it does need to cover the clauses below. Use this as a checklist before you send any agreement.
- 1Parties. The full legal names and addresses of both the freelancer and the client, and the effective date of the agreement.
- 2Scope of work. A specific list of deliverables and services. Spell out what is included, and add a line that anything not listed is quoted separately.
- 3Timeline. Start date, delivery date, and any milestones. Tie deadlines to the client supplying assets and feedback on time.
- 4Fees and payment terms. The total fee, the payment schedule (such as a deposit plus a balance), the invoice due window, and a late-payment fee.
- 5Revisions. How many revision rounds the fee covers, and the rate for extra changes or new scope. A revision limit is your main defense against scope creep.
- 6Intellectual property. Who owns the work, and when ownership transfers. A common term is that rights pass to the client on final payment.
- 7Confidentiality. A clause keeping each side's non-public information private, used only to deliver the project.
- 8Termination. How either party can end the agreement, the notice period, and what gets paid for work already done.
- 9Liability and independent contractor status. A cap on liability, and a line confirming the freelancer is a contractor, not an employee.
- 10Signatures and governing law. A signature block for both parties with dates, and the state or country whose laws govern the contract.
Get the Deposit Clause Right
The most common freelancer mistake is starting work before any money changes hands. A deposit due on signing, written clearly into the payment section, filters out clients who will not commit and protects your early hours.
How to Send a Contract for E-Signature with AgencyKit
The template works on its own. But chasing signatures over email, then hunting for the signed PDF months later, is exactly the busywork AgencyKit removes. How to go from blank template to a signed, stored contract:
Start your free AgencyKit account
Create your account at app.agencykit.tech/register. The 14-day free trial gives you full access with no credit card required.
Add your client and project
Save the client as a contact, then open a new contract. AgencyKit pulls the client's name and details into the document so you are not retyping them every time.
Drop in the template and customize
Paste the plain-text template from this page into the contract editor and replace each bracketed placeholder with your scope, fee, payment schedule, and revision count. Save it as a reusable template for next time.
Send for electronic signature
On the Agency plan at $39/month, send the contract for a legally binding electronic signature. You can see when the client opens it, and get notified the moment it is signed. No printing, no scanning.
Store the signed contract
Every signed contract is stored against the client record. Contract storage is included from the $9/month Starter plan, so even before you add e-signatures you have a clean, searchable home for every agreement.
What You Get at Each Tier
Contract storage, proposals, invoicing, client management, and time tracking are all on the $9/month Starter plan. Sending contracts for legally binding electronic signature, online payments, and scheduling are part of the Agency plan at $39/month. You can try everything free for 14 days first.
If contracts are a recurring headache, it is worth seeing how AgencyKit handles the whole flow on the contracts feature page, and how proposals feed straight into a contract on the proposals feature page.
AgencyKit Plans
Contract storage starts on the Starter plan. Electronic signatures, online payments, and scheduling are on the Agency plan. Every plan is billed per account, not per seat.
- + Client management
- + Proposals & PDF export
- + Invoicing (multi-currency)
- + Time tracking
- + Contract storage
- + 14-day free trial
- + Everything in Starter
- + Electronic signatures
- + Online payments (Stripe & PayPal)
- + Scheduling & meetings
- + AI assistant
- + Everything in Agency
- + Full white-label branding
- + Custom accent colour
- + VIP support
- + 14-day free trial
Freelance contracts by discipline
The core of a freelancing contract does not change by field: parties, scope, fee, payment dates, revisions, ownership, termination. What changes is which clause carries the risk, and that is worth adjusting rather than sending the same document to everyone.
Writing. In a freelance writing contract the unit and the revision count are the clauses that matter. Add a kill fee for commissioned work that gets spiked, and be explicit about whether a byline or ghostwriting is intended, since that changes the price and is almost never written down.
Design and illustration. Ownership is the clause to get right. Say what transfers on payment, whether you keep the right to show the work in a portfolio, and what happens to unused concepts, which clients frequently assume they bought.
Development. Acceptance and scope of maintenance. Define what "done" means with something testable, and say plainly whether bug fixes after launch are included, for how long, and what counts as a bug rather than a change.
Consulting and strategy. Deliverables and availability. Advice is hard to point at afterwards, so name what physically gets handed over, even if that is a document and a workshop rather than a build.
In every case the two clauses worth writing by hand rather than accepting from a template are what happens when the client asks for something outside the scope, and who owns the work if an invoice goes unpaid.
Key Takeaways
- A freelance contract should always cover parties, scope, timeline, payment, revisions, IP, confidentiality, termination, liability, and signatures
- This template is free to copy and use; replace each bracketed placeholder with your own project details
- A deposit clause and a revision limit are the two terms that protect freelancers most
- Intellectual property commonly transfers to the client on final payment, with the freelancer keeping portfolio rights
- Electronic signatures are generally legally binding under laws like the US ESIGN Act and EU eIDAS
- AgencyKit stores contracts from $9/month and sends them for e-signature on the $39/month Agency plan
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. The freelance contract template on this page is free to copy, edit, and use for your own client work, with no sign-up required. You can paste the plain-text version into any document, or have AgencyKit generate and send a polished version for you. There is nothing to buy to use the template itself.
A solid freelance contract names both parties, defines the scope of work and deliverables, sets the fee and payment schedule, gives a timeline, and limits revisions. A freelance contract should also cover intellectual property ownership, confidentiality, liability, and how either side can terminate the agreement, followed by a signature block for both parties.
In most cases, yes. Electronic signatures are recognized under laws like the US ESIGN Act and the EU eIDAS regulation, so a contract signed online is generally as enforceable as one signed on paper. AgencyKit records who signed and when. For high-value or unusual agreements, confirm the requirements in your own jurisdiction.
Not for everyday projects. A clear template like this one protects both sides for most standard freelance work. This template is general information, not legal advice. For large engagements, unusual terms, or work in a regulated industry, it is worth having a lawyer review the contract before you send it.
Yes. AgencyKit stores contracts from the $9 per month Starter plan, so you can keep every signed agreement against the client record. Sending a contract for a legally binding electronic signature is part of the Agency plan at $39 per month, which also adds online payments, scheduling, and an AI assistant via MCP.
State the number of revision rounds the fee includes, for example two rounds, and define what counts as a revision versus new work. Add a line that further changes or new scope are billed at your hourly rate or quoted separately. A change-order line protects you from unpaid scope creep while keeping the client experience fair.
It depends on what you agree. A common approach is that the freelancer keeps ownership until final payment clears, then full intellectual property rights transfer to the client. The freelancer usually keeps the right to show the finished work in a portfolio. Spell this out in the intellectual property clause so there is no confusion later.
Yes. AgencyKit offers a 14-day free trial with full access, no credit card required, cancel anytime. After the trial, plans are $9 per month (Starter, with client management, proposals, invoicing, time tracking, and contract storage), $39 per month (Agency, which adds online payments, e-signatures, and scheduling), or $69 per month (Agency Pro, which adds white-label branding). Each plan is billed per account.
Yes. Agreement and contract describe the same document, and the words are interchangeable in every jurisdiction that matters here. What makes it binding is not the label at the top but what is in it: who the parties are, what is being delivered, what it costs, when payment is due, who owns the work when it is paid for, and how either side ends it. Some freelancers prefer the word agreement because it reads less adversarial to a nervous client, which is a presentation choice rather than a legal one.
The Bottom Line
A good contract turns a freelance project from a gamble into a clear agreement. Use the template on this page as your starting point: copy it, fill in the brackets, and send it before any work begins. It costs nothing and it can save you a painful dispute later.
When you are ready to stop wrangling documents by hand, AgencyKit ties it all together. Contract storage and proposals start at $9/month, and sending contracts for legally binding e-signature, taking online payments, and scheduling come with the Agency plan at $39/month. Every plan is billed per account, with a 14-day free trial and no card required, so you can run a full project from proposal to signed contract to paid invoice before you commit.
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