Freelance contract checklist: 12 points before signing

The short answer

A freelance contract has to answer twelve questions: who the parties are, what you will deliver, by when, how it is accepted, what it costs and when it is paid, how expenses and changes are handled, who owns the result, what stays confidential, that you work independently, how either side can end it, how far liability goes, and which law applies.

Settle them before work starts, in writing, and the arguments that usually come at the end of a project never begin. This checklist follows the clauses of QuoteBill’s freelance and service agreement samples. It is general information, not legal advice.

The checklist: twelve points to agree before you sign

Go through them in this order, and write down an answer for each:

• Parties: the legal names and addresses, and the client’s registration or tax number if invoices need it.
• Scope: what you deliver, in enough detail to compare with the result, and what is explicitly out of scope.
• Schedule: dates or milestones, and what happens to them if the client is late with material or feedback.
• Acceptance: how long the client has to review a delivery, for example 7 days, and what counts as approval.
• Fees and payment: the price, when you invoice, the payment terms and any deposit.
• Expenses: reimbursed only if approved in advance and backed by receipts.
• Changes and revisions: the rounds included and how extra work is quoted and approved.
• Intellectual property: when rights pass to the client, often on full payment, and whether you may show the work in a portfolio.
• Confidentiality: what stays secret and for how long after the work ends.
• Independence: you decide how and when you work, use your own equipment and pay your own taxes.
• Termination: the notice either side gives, and payment for work done until then.
• Liability and law: a cap on liability, the governing law and where disputes are decided.

Worked example: a website job, clause by clause

A freelance developer agrees a three-page website with a small business. In the freelance agreement sample, the blanks become the following. The amounts are illustrative.

Midway, the client asks for a fourth page. Under the change clause the developer quotes it at 300, the client approves by email, and the final invoice becomes 1,500 instead of 1,200, with the change named on it.

• Deliverables: home, services and contact pages, responsive, with two rounds of revisions.
• Fee: 2,400, invoiced 50% on signing, 1,200, and 50% at launch, 1,200.
• Extra page after signing: 300 each, approved in writing before work starts.
• Acceptance: the client reviews each delivery within 7 days or asks for specific corrections.
• Rights: pass to the client when the 2,400 and any approved extras are paid in full.
• Notice to end: 14 days in writing, with payment for the work done until then.

Independence is about how the work is done

A clause saying you are an independent contractor helps, but in many countries the authorities and courts look at how the work is actually done: who sets the hours, who supplies the tools, whether you work for others and whether you carry business risk. If a client treats you like an employee, the label in the contract may not decide the question. Where it matters, take local advice.

Some countries also set rules for clients who hire freelancers. Japan’s Freelance Act, in force since November 2024, requires a client to state the terms of a commission in writing or electronically, and the guide on it lists the items.

If you are the client hiring a freelancer

The same twelve points, read from the other side, come down to five checks:

• The scope and acceptance criteria are specific enough to say whether a delivery is complete.
• Rights in the work pass to you, or you get the licence you need, once you have paid.
• The freelancer keeps your information confidential and returns or deletes it at the end.
• If the freelancer will handle personal data for you, a data processing agreement is in place as well.
• Payment follows accepted milestones, so you never pay far ahead of the work.

Writing and signing it with QuoteBill

Start from the freelance or consulting agreement, the service agreement or a statement of work under a master agreement, read the full sample text on its public page, then sign in and replace every [[…]] blank. You can also start the contract from an accepted quotation, so the client and the priced lines carry over.

E-Contracts makes a simple electronic signature with an audit trail. It is not an advanced or qualified electronic signature, and QuoteBill does not verify who signs; it records the use of the link and code you delivered. Whether that is enough depends on the contract and the country. The samples are not legal advice.

Questions people ask

Is an email exchange enough instead of a contract? An email that both sides agree to can record terms, but scattered messages rarely cover all twelve points. A short signed contract is easier to rely on when something goes wrong.

Who should write the contract, me or the client? Either. Larger clients often send their own; read it against this checklist and ask for changes before signing, especially on payment terms and rights.

When should rights in my work pass to the client? Commonly on full payment, which protects you if an invoice goes unpaid. Keep the right to show non-confidential work in your portfolio unless the client objects.

Can I change the contract after signing? Yes, if both sides agree in writing; a change order agreement records what changes to the scope, the price and the dates.

Sample contracts and tools

• Freelance or consulting agreement
• Service agreement
• Change order agreement
• Copyright assignment agreement

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