All fine print · Work
The important part of a freelance contract
Scope, payment, ownership, and how it ends. Every freelance disaster in history traces back to one of those four being vague.
The four parts that decide it
Scope and what counts as done
The deliverables, the number of revision rounds, and the definition of acceptance. Without a revision limit, "we're just not happy yet" is an unlimited claim on your time.
Payment terms
Amount, schedule, what triggers each payment, and what happens when it is late. A deposit up front is not a favour, it is the mechanism that makes the rest of the contract real.
Who owns the work
Usually the client on full payment, and the words "on full payment" are doing all the work in that sentence. Also check whether you can show it in your portfolio.
Termination and what you keep
Who can end it, with what notice, and what is owed for work already done. A contract that can be cancelled at will with nothing payable is not a contract, it is a hope.
The traps
- Scope creep with no change-order clause, so every new request is free by default.
- Payment on the client's client paying, which makes you the financier of someone else's cash-flow problem.
- Unlimited liability, which is a rounding error for a company and a life event for a freelancer.
Red flags
- No deposit, long payment terms, and a right to cancel at any time in the same document.
- An indemnity where you cover the client's legal costs for anything at all.
- Exclusivity without a retainer: you cannot work for competitors, and you are not paid to stay free.
Three easy wins
- Two revision rounds included, further rounds at your hourly rate. Nobody argues with this.
- Cap your liability at the value of the contract. It is the single most useful sentence you can add.
- A kill fee: if the project stops, a stated percentage of the remaining value is payable.
Questions
What should a freelance deposit be?
A third to a half up front is normal across most industries and most countries. Its real job is to prove the client can pay at all.
Can I use the work in my portfolio?
Only if the contract says so. Many contracts transfer everything and then forbid you from mentioning the project, which is a strange thing to discover two years later.
Now do it to the actual document
Paste the contract into the tool and see which sentences it thinks matter. Then check them against the four parts above.
Open the toolNot legal advice. This is a checklist of what to look for, written to be useful in any country. It is not advice on your document, your situation or your jurisdiction, and the law where you live may say something different. For anything that matters, pay a professional for an hour of their time.