Free Freelance Contract
Template
A professional freelance service agreement with scope of work, revision policy, kill fee, IP ownership and late payment clause — for web developers, designers, copywriters and all freelance professionals.
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- Reviewed June 2026
- Includes kill fee clause
Branding (optional)
1 — Parties
2 — Project & Scope
3 — Payment
4 — Revisions
5 — Governing Law
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Freelance Services Contract
Date: enter date above
1. Agreement Parties
This Freelance Services Contract ("Agreement") is entered into as of enter date above between Freelancer name, Freelancer address ("Freelancer"), and Client name, Client address ("Client").
2. Scope of Work
Project: project description
Deadline: project deadline
In scope:
- In-scope item 1
- In-scope item 2
- In-scope item 3
Out of scope:
- Out-of-scope item 1
- Out-of-scope item 2
Any work outside the agreed scope requires a written change order signed by both parties before work begins.
3. Fees, Payment Schedule and Late Payment
Fee: Fixed project fee — USD ($) amount
Payment schedule: payment schedule
Invoice to: invoice email
Invoices unpaid after 14 days accrue interest at 2% per month on the outstanding balance. The Freelancer reserves the right to pause work on overdue accounts. Ownership of all deliverables remains with the Freelancer until the invoice is paid in full.
4. Revision Policy
The project fee includes 2 round(s) of revisions. One round = one consolidated set of changes submitted after each deliverable. Additional rounds are billed at USD ($) rate/hr. Requests that substantially alter the original brief are treated as a scope change and will be quoted separately.
5. Kill Fee
If the Client cancels this Agreement after work has begun, the following kill fees apply: 25% of the total project fee if cancelled before any work starts; 50% once work is underway; 100% once more than 75% of the project is complete. Kill fee invoices are due within 14 days.
6. Intellectual Property
All rights to final deliverables transfer to the Client upon receipt of full payment. Until payment is received in full, all work product remains the Freelancer's property. Pre-existing IP (code libraries, frameworks, design templates) remains the Freelancer's property, licensed to the Client for use within the deliverables.
7. Independent Contractor Status
The Freelancer is an independent contractor, not an employee. The Freelancer controls how and when work is performed, uses their own equipment, may work for other clients simultaneously, and is responsible for their own tax obligations.
8. Confidentiality
Each party will keep the other's confidential business information strictly confidential and will not disclose it to third parties without prior written consent. This obligation survives termination of this Agreement for 2 years. Neither party may enter confidential information into public AI systems without prior written consent.
9. Termination
Either party may terminate this Agreement with 14 days' written notice. On termination, all completed work to date is delivered to the Client and all services rendered are invoiced and paid. The kill fee clause (Clause 5) applies to client-initiated terminations.
10. Limitation of Liability and Governing Law
Aggregate liability is capped at fees paid in the 3 months preceding the claim. Neither party is liable for indirect or consequential damages.
Governing law: governing jurisdiction
This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties. Any amendments must be in writing and signed by both parties.
Client
Signature
Print name: _______________
Title: _______________
Date: ___________________________
Freelancer
Signature
Print name: _______________
Title: _______________
Date: ___________________________
Template preview
Parties
1. Agreement Parties
This Freelance Services Contract ("Agreement") is entered into as of [Date] between [Freelancer Full Name], trading as [Business / Trading Name, if applicable] ("Freelancer"), and [Client Full Name or Company Name] ("Client").
Scope of Work
2. Scope of Work
The Freelancer agrees to provide the following services ("Services") for the Client:
[Describe the project clearly — e.g. "Design and develop a 5-page marketing website in WordPress" / "Write and deliver 4 × 1,500-word blog articles per month" / "Manage and schedule content for 2 Instagram accounts"]
The Services include:
✓ Included in this contract
✗ Not included (out of scope)
Any work outside this scope requires a written change order and will be invoiced at the Freelancer's rate of [Currency + Amount] per hour.
Fees & Payment
3. Fees, Payment Schedule and Late Payment
Project fee: [Currency + Total Amount] [OR: "[Rate] per hour / per day"]
Payment schedule:
— Deposit: [e.g. 50%] ([Amount]) due upon signing. Work begins upon receipt.
— Balance: [e.g. 50%] ([Amount]) due [e.g. upon final delivery / on [date]].
Late payment: Invoices unpaid after [e.g. 14] days will accrue interest at [e.g. 2%] per month on the outstanding balance. The Freelancer reserves the right to pause all work on overdue accounts until payment is received. Ownership of all deliverables remains with the Freelancer until the invoice is paid in full.
Revisions
4. Revision Policy
The project fee includes [e.g. 2] rounds of revisions. A "round of revisions" means one consolidated set of changes submitted after each deliverable — not individual back-and-forth requests.
Requests that substantially alter the approved brief or add new features are treated as a scope change, not revisions, and will be quoted separately.
📄 Download the full template — includes Kill Fee clause, IP Ownership, Independent Contractor Status, Confidentiality and Limitation of Liability.
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What's included in this template
How to use this template
Write the scope of work before anything else
Clause 2 is the most important clause. Write it in enough detail that both you and the client agree on exactly what "done" looks like — list specific deliverables, page counts, word counts, features or any other measurable outputs. Then list what is explicitly NOT included to close off scope creep before it starts.
Set your revision limit and additional revision rate
Two rounds of revisions is standard for most freelance projects. Be specific: one round = one consolidated list of changes after a deliverable, not ongoing back-and-forth. State your hourly rate for extra rounds clearly — clients respect limits more when they know the cost of exceeding them.
Include the kill fee — for every project, no exceptions
Clients cancel projects. Sometimes after you've done 60% of the work. Without a kill fee clause, you have no contractual right to payment for that work. Set tiers: a modest fee if they cancel before you start, and higher percentages once work is underway. Most clients never trigger it — but knowing it's there changes how seriously they treat the project.
Get the deposit and signature before starting
Never begin work on a verbal agreement or a "we'll sort the contract later." Send the contract, collect the signature and receive the deposit first. Use Bonsai to send the contract, collect the e-signature and process the deposit in a single client-facing link.
2026 optional clauses to consider
Frequently asked questions
- A freelance contract should include: both parties' names and contact details, a detailed scope of work (what is and is not included), project timeline, fee and payment schedule (with a late payment clause), revision policy, a kill fee for cancellations, intellectual property ownership, independent contractor status declaration, optional confidentiality clause, and limitation of liability. This template covers all 10 clauses in plain language suitable for all freelance professions.
- Yes — every paid project, regardless of size or how well you know the client. Most freelance disputes arise from unclear expectations about scope, revisions or payment — not from bad intentions. A contract makes those expectations explicit before work begins. Experienced freelancers also find that sending a contract signals professionalism, which often makes clients more comfortable. The few minutes it takes to send a contract can save days of unpaid work.
- A kill fee is the compensation a client pays if they cancel a project after work has already begun. It protects the freelancer for time invested, work completed, and other clients turned away to accommodate the booking.
Kill fees are typically tiered: a small percentage (e.g. 25%) if cancelled before any work starts; 50% once work is underway; and up to 100% of the total project fee if the project is substantially complete. Without a kill fee clause, freelancers have no contractual right to payment for work done on a cancelled project. - By default in most jurisdictions, the freelancer owns the copyright to work they create — ownership only transfers to the client once full payment is received and an explicit IP assignment is in place. This contract includes both: a clear IP transfer clause (rights transfer to the client upon receipt of full payment) and a retention clause for background IP (templates, tools, code libraries, methods developed independently by the freelancer remain theirs).
This structure protects the freelancer's leverage — if a client refuses to pay, the freelancer retains ownership — while ensuring the client receives full rights once the invoice is settled. - Scope creep — clients adding work beyond what was originally agreed — is the leading cause of freelancers being underpaid. Prevention starts in the scope of work clause: list specifically what is included and what is not. When a client requests something outside the agreed scope, respond with a written change order before starting the extra work: "Happy to add that — it's outside our current scope, so I'll send a change order for [X hours / amount]."
The revision policy clause also helps: defining what counts as a "revision" (a consolidated set of changes) vs a "scope change" (new requirements) closes off the most common source of free extra work. - Most experienced freelancers use a 50% deposit before work begins, with the balance due on delivery. Net 7 or Net 14 are standard payment terms for freelancers — Net 30 (common in corporate environments) means a month of cash flow pressure on a completed project.
Always include a late payment clause: invoices unpaid after [X] days accrue interest at [X]% per month, and work may be paused on overdue accounts. This clause alone significantly reduces late payments — most clients pay promptly when there is a clear financial penalty for not doing so. The late payment clause also makes the client aware this is a professional arrangement, not a favour.
Bonsai handles the full freelance workflow — send the contract, collect the signature, invoice the deposit, and get paid. All from one client link.