Freelance contract templates are official documents that clearly outline the mutual expectations between you and your client. As a freelancer, it’s crucial to prepare a contract for every project, as it legally defines your rights.
First, discuss the project with your client and agree on the following points:
- Project scope
- Fees
- Revision rights
- Payment dates
- Cancellation terms
Alright, but… is talking about these enough? 👎🏻 Absolutely not.
What really matters is putting everything in writing through a formal contract.
No matter how trustworthy people are, contracts are an excellent tool to ensure both parties feel secure and protected.
Once you’ve customized the freelance contract according to your project, you can sign it and send it to your client for their signature.
Remember, freelance contracts don’t create conflicts; they prevent them.
6 tips for writing your own freelance contract
I’m sharing six suggestions I find critical about freelance contract templates.
1) Customize the contract according to your profession
When I say “customize,” I mean that each freelance profession comes with different risks. The problems a designer faces may be different from those a writer encounters, and it’s helpful to draw clear lines between them.
Sure, you can use a contract template you find online. You can also try Ruul's Freelance Service Agreement Template right away.
But I believe that customized templates reduce friction more effectively and also serve as a way to reflect your personal brand.
Create it just once, and then adjust it slightly to fit every new project you start.
2) Include payment terms and details
In freelance contracts, payment details are the most important.
You need them to receive your payment as expected and to reduce the number of delayed payments.
So make sure to specify clearly:
- How much the fee is
- Which currency the payment will be made in
- Whether the payment is per project, or per unit (e.g., per kilometer or per word)
- The final payment date and the interest rate in case of delays
- Even incentives for early payment (like a 4% discount)
You can adjust this to your profession. It’s hard to give examples for every case. But, for instance, if you’re a writer and agreed on payment per word, make it explicit. State that for a 1,000-word article at $0.50 per word, you will receive $500.
3) Write the scope of work in detail
The Statement of Work (SOW) is one of the most essential parts of any contract. Without a clear job description, you’re essentially inviting friction. Clarifying the scope helps both parties understand what work will be delivered over a specific period.
- As a freelancer, this allows you to say “no” to extra work requests.
- Your client can be confident they are getting work that matches the payment.
In other words, contracts protect both.
If the work is complex, break it down into milestones. Your client will appreciate this because they won’t need to allocate a large budget all at once. Similarly, you can continue to receive payments at each stage without waiting for the entire project to be completed.
4) Always include a termination clause
You’ve accepted a job, and you’re feeling good. But then the client ghosts you, or worse, says they went with someone else, found a cheaper option, or even worse, handled it with ChatGPT. I know, it’s maddening. 😬
Fortunately, if you include an early termination clause in your contract, you can relax. If the client cancels the project on a whim, you’ll recover a portion of your fee.
Of course, don’t forget to be fair to your client as well.
“Both parties must give 7 days’ notice. If either party terminates unfairly, they pay 20% compensation.” 👌🏻
This way, knowing that
- your rights are protected and
- the project will be completed, or
- you will lose nothing if it is not completed,
will ensure that both parties feel secure.
5) Include a retention section
This section essentially means that a client reserves your service and time. In other words, no one else can just sit at your desk during that period.
You can specify it like this:
“The freelancer will provide [X] hours / [Y] projects per month for the client. The client agrees to pay a fixed monthly fee of [Z] TL for these services. Unused hours will not roll over to the next month.”
This way, you know how much income you’ll earn at the end of the month.
I place great importance on this because freelancers absolutely need some certainty: a guarantee that they can pay rent and bills at the end of the month, and even afford that vacation. Otherwise, uncertainty can be exhausting.
6) Discuss intellectual property rights (very critical)
Any content, design, or code you create counts as a “work,” and you automatically hold the copyright. However, a contract can give the client paid or free rights to use that work.
This matters especially for individual clients. If you sell a course, you MUST prohibit its commercial use. (Even for digital products, always include this clause.)
“The client may use the delivered works only for their own purposes. Reproducing, selling, or transferring the work to third parties is prohibited.”
If you write a blog post for a client, they probably won’t sell it. And even if they do, it doesn’t matter because you already got paid.
But anything that generates passive income (your course, training materials) must never get sold, and you should enforce strict consequences if it does.
Customize freelance contract templates by profession
If you recall, in the first section I talked about customizing contracts according to your profession. Now, I will provide actionable suggestions to turn these into concrete practices.
For each one, I’ll offer recommendations based on the specific challenges faced by that freelance profession.
1) Graphic Designer Contract
Clarify the concept of "Revision"
Design projects are subjective by nature, so you’ll frequently run into requests for “unlimited revisions” (honestly, you probably already do). To keep yourself from drowning in a flood of revision requests, I highly suggest adding some clear clauses to your contract.
However, defining precisely what a revision is? That is critical.
The most common mistake designers make is counting simple error corrections as a revision round. Build trust by clearly stating in the contract that fixing technical errors (typos, color shifts, etc.) will not be deducted from their revision allowance.
Those aren't structural changes. They are just things you have to fix anyway.
Generally speaking, you can offer two rounds of free revisions after the initial design presentation. These should be actual design tweaks that take up your time. If the client wants more than that, just state in the contract that you will charge an extra fee.
Intellectual property (IP) & copyright transfer
This is the area where designers get the most confused and lose the most money.
Know exactly what you are handing over when you deliver the work.
- License to Use: Can the client only use the design for a specific period or on specific platforms?
- Full Ownership Transfer: Does the client own the design 100%?
Make it clear that you retain all copyrights until full payment is made. This clause prevents the client from dragging their feet on the payment.
That way, you won’t have a nervous breakdown seeing your design posted everywhere while you still haven't been paid. 🙂
Portfolio rights
It is totally natural to want to showcase your work in your own portfolio. However, some clients (especially corporate ones) might want to prevent you from doing that. If they bring up an NDA (confidentiality agreement), you need to discuss this right from the start.
Counter this by adding a clause guaranteeing that you can use the work on your own channels for "promotional purposes." This is super important because imagine doing a perfect job but not being able to show it to anyone... that would be so annoying.
2) Content Writer / Copywriter Contract
AI usage policy
This is one of the most popular clauses in a writer's contract in 2025. Clients are constantly worried: "Did you write this, or did ChatGPT?" And they have a point (especially if there is no human touch), but using AI is still a right and, let's face it, often necessary.
If the piece is 100% human-made, commit to that in the contract. But if you are using it for outlines, research, etc., you might want to add a note saying, “AI support was used during the research phase of this article.”
Ghostwriting vs. bylined work
As a writer, doing ghostwriting actually adds another layer of income for you.
- Will the client use the writer's name, or
- Will they publish it under their own name (or the CEO's)?
You need to explain the concept of "Ghostwriting" clearly to that second type of client.
If they aren't going to use your name and are taking all the credit, you can request an additional fee (say, 20-30%) on top of your normal rate to compensate for your "loss of reputation and portfolio."
For every job you can't use as a reference, you are potentially losing future clients.
Handling unexpected SEO demands
Clients often assume that writers are also SEO experts. But SEO and writing are two completely different ball games. Be careful if the client expects this automatically. State in the contract that heavy-duty SEO requests will require outside assistance.
Remember, if an article doesn't perform well, it’s not just on you. The lack of a proper SEO strategy can have a huge impact. Therefore, that failure isn't your responsibility. However, if you do offer SEO as an add-on service, you definitely need to include it in your pricing.
3) Software Developer / Web Developer Contract
The "Bug" vs. "Feature" distinction
Developers face the exact same issue designers do: leaving the details of "revisions" too open-ended. A bug is obviously something you have to fix, and it shouldn't count against a revision limit. But a new feature? That is definitely paid work.
That’s why you should add a clear definition of "error" to the contract:
- Bug: The software crashes or fails to work according to the agreed-upon requirements. (Fixed for free.)
- Change Request: The software works, but the client wants it to work differently. (Subject to extra fees.)
Also, clarify exactly when the warranty period starts. Usually, it begins the day the code goes to "Production."
Dependencies & external APIs
Your code might be flawless, but if the Instagram API changes, the site breaks. Is that your fault? Never. But an uninformed client might think it is.
So, add an "External Dependency Disclaimer."
"The developer is not responsible for changes, outages, or price increases caused by 3rd party services (Google Maps, Stripe, OpenAI API, etc.). Any work required to adapt to these changes will be billed separately."
This clause is a lifesaver.
"Works on my machine" prevention (environment & hosting limits)
When the client uploads the code to their own server, it might not work (different PHP version, closed ports, etc.). You need to define where your responsibility ends.
"The code is guaranteed to work on the server configuration specified by the developer (AWS Linux 2, Node v18). Issues arising from the client's server settings or hosting provider are not the developer's fault, and resolving them is subject to an hourly rate."
Maintenance, features & security updates
Maintenance, new features, and security updates must be billed separately. Just because a client paid you once doesn't mean you become their on-call, salaried employee forever.
You can include this clause both for protection and as a source of passive income:
"Post-delivery maintenance: $Y per month for X hours of updates, backups, and security checks."
This means regular income for a freelancer even after the project ends. And even if they don't buy the package, it saves you from the headache of clients expecting you to do free work indefinitely.
4) Social Media Manager Contract
Community management boundaries
Social media management is a fast-paced role. You need to clearly understand the difference between "Management" and "Customer Service". Is replying to comments and DMs included in the deal? If so, during what hours? (e.g., Weekdays 09:00 - 18:00).
SLA (Service Level Agreement): What is the response time? It shouldn't be "instant," but a measurable timeframe like "within 24 hours." Basically, don't let a client hassle you because you didn't answer "how much is this?" DM at 2 AM.
"The manager will reply to comments and messages between 09:00 - 18:00. However, instant replies are not mandatory; response time may take up to 12 hours."
Ad spend liability
Don't even think about spending your own money on Instagram ads. Of course, if that's what you agreed to from the start, I can't say for sure. Maybe the client is transferring the advertising expenses to you; in that case, I'm not talking about you.
However, for expenses, the customer usually registers their credit card in the system. The specified daily spending limit is automatically deducted from the Google/Meta credit card. But as a freelancer, you should not act as an intermediary for this cash flow.
"The freelancer does not facilitate ad spend payments. Expenses within the determined limit will be charged directly to the client's credit card."
No guarantee of virality
Clients want "Guaranteed Sales" or "Guaranteed Followers." Since they are paying for management services, their expectations for going viral are high. But maybe 1 out of 100 posts goes viral, or perhaps none do.
Unless you agreed otherwise, you shouldn't take responsibility for this.
Therefore, make a clear distinction in the contract between Performance vs. Deliverables:
"The freelancer guarantees the deliverables (3 posts per week, 5 stories). They cannot guarantee results (1000 new followers, 50 sales). Algorithms are outside the freelancer's control."
4 sites for freelance contract templates
Now, let’s look at the freelance contract template websites I find helpful.
1. Ruul’s Freelance Service Agreement Generator
You can use Ruul’s freelance contract builder online for free. The template comes with a ready-made structure and blank spaces for you to fill in. As you complete each section, you can see the progress percentage at the top (e.g., 30%).
Then, you can effortlessly export and sign the contract.
👉🏻 Try it now.
2. LegalTemplates
LegalTemplates offers a freelance contract template that you can download as a PDF or Word document, prepared by lawyers. Once you visit the site, you can click the “Create Document” button, answer the questions asked, and create your contract step by step.
3. Contractbook
Contractbook offers a general template for freelance work. Once you get started, you can customize it according to your project needs. Their website also mentions that they provide e-signature and AI contract assistant services.
4. Freelancers Union
Freelancers Union is one of the freelance communities and offers a contract builder on its website. It’s very simple and easy to use. Once completed, you can add a signature and download the contract as a PDF or DOCX file.
5. Other freelance contract template sites
If you want to customize everything
- Colors
- Lines
- Table styles
- Fonts
then use sites where you can make visual customizations:
- Canva
- Adobe Express
- Notion
On these sites, you can customize hundreds of free templates. While doing this, don’t forget the suggestions I provided for each profession above. If a template doesn’t include a critical element (for example, revision rights) add it yourself and make it compatible with your work.
FAQs
1. What is a freelance contract?
A freelance contract is a formal agreement that defines project scope, payment, revisions, deadlines, and termination terms, legally protecting both the freelancer and the client while ensuring clear expectations and preventing conflicts.
2. What is a contract template?
A contract template is a reusable document freelancers customize per project, covering scope, fees, milestones, intellectual property, and termination clauses, saving time while maintaining legal clarity and professional consistency.
3. What does a freelancer contract look like?
A freelancer contract includes project scope, payment terms, milestones, revisions, retention, termination, and intellectual property rights. Profession-specific details, like source file delivery or bug-fix periods, can also be added.
4. What are the different types of freelance contracts?
Freelance contracts vary by profession. Designers, writers, developers, and social media managers have agreements covering revisions, copyright, payments, reporting, and milestones to ensure client satisfaction and freelancer protection.
.png)
