The basic freelance contract is a legal agreement between two separate entities, usually, a business (the client) and an individual (the contractor/freelancer) that details the expectation of the services to be rendered, the compensation to be traded for these services, and if applicable, the weight of accountability and ownership rights to the completed services. There are many small intricacies as well that you may or may not need for your individual purposes. That’s why it’s vital, as a business owner, to ask yourself a few simple questions before making your final decision about which contract you’ll use. These questions are basic and they are very similar to what a lawyer may ask you before writing you a personalized contract.



  • What kind of service are you requesting?
  • What do you hope to achieve with this contract?
  • What do you want to protect with this contract?


These are important questions because without the answers to them you may draft a document that has no legal standing or no connection to the reasons you wanted one initially. If you want to hire a specific type of freelance designer, you’ll need a contract that specifies the services you’re requesting to be that of a specific freelance designer. Otherwise, you may hastily decide after searching through freelance contract templates that a freelance artist contract template will suffice the need for a freelance designer contract template. These small differences will make ALL the difference. 


Yes, Contracts Are Important



You need a properly written legal document to ensure accountability can be taken when things don’t go as planned. Which inevitably happens from time to time. Perhaps you hired a contractor who demands full payment for incomplete or substandard work? Without a signed document showing what you expected to be done, by whom, and by when, there’s a chance that if brought before a judge, you may have to pay.


What To Look For In A Contract Template



Here are a few things to look for when choosing a worthwhile template:


  • Make sure it includes placeholders for names, dates, important details of the work to be done, payment details (what the pay will be and how it will be paid out), and signature placeholders. The importance of the job details cannot be stressed enough. Always be as detailed about this as possible, including what you specifically do, and DO NOT expect to be completed.
  • If searching for a freelance retainer contract template, make sure it specifies that there is a length of time you wish to retain the contractor for their services. Without this, it’s perfectly legal for them to “milk” a job, which could cost you much more than you wanted to pay. 
  • No matter what specification of freelancer you’re hiring always be sure there is a clause detailing what will happen if the contract is not fulfilled. 



Read The Details!



Your time is valuable and there’s no need to waste it by reading through encyclopedias of freelance contract templates when you could be hiring your next asset. With the time you’ll save using the freelance contract sample shown here, you’ll be readily discussing the details of your agreement and well on your way to achieving the goals you have in mind. If however, you choose to keep searching, just remember to read the details closely!


Here’s a sample Freelance Contract template that can be easily customized and adapted to meet your requirements. It’s free to download and use.


Download your FREE Freelance Contract Template In .doc Word format



Download a FREE Freelance Contract Template in PDF format




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