Grab This Free Freelance Contract Template [Download]

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 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 and freelance work are you requesting in independent the contractor agreement?
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 worker, you’ll need a contract that specifies the services you’re requesting to be that of a specific freelance worker for your freelance projects.

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.

Why you need a freelance contract in the first place

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. Write a freelance contract every time if you want to make sure that both you and freelancers are protected.

Another important thing to consider - without a freelance contract, many freelancers won't take you seriously as an employer. A written agreement with payment terms, intellectual property rights and more signifies that they're working with a legitimate business.

What to look for in a free freelance 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. Add a legally binding termination clause that allows either party to walk out at any given point in time.
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. If the freelancer does not provide the deliverable, the freelance agreement should state what happens with all the parties involved.

The elements to include every time you write a freelance contract

Not sure if our agreement template has everything you may need? Here are the elements to include every time you put a contract in place between you and a freelancer doing work for you.

Names and contact information (especially if you're a new client for them)
Project description and the scope of the project
Timeline and deadlines (for starting and ending the contract)
The payment terms of the contract work
Revisions and changes (how many times you can send back the work to get updates)
Intellectual property rights of the mutually binding agreement
Non-disclosure agreement clause
Termination clause
Insurance and liability clause
Dispute resolution
Force majeure

All of this ensures you have a good freelance contract in place and that you're entering in a legally binding agreement.

Read the details whenever you use a freelance contract

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. No matter if you're hiring an independent contractor or you're the one delivering the work with your freelance business, read all the details of the work relationship.

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!