Free Freelance Contract Template — Fill & Sign Online
A freelance contract is the agreement between an independent freelancer — designer, developer, writer, photographer — and a client. It covers the same ground as a service agreement (scope, money, timeline) plus the two issues that bite freelancers hardest: who owns the work and what happens when a client disappears mid-project.
Use one for every paid project, including small gigs and repeat clients. The projects that go wrong are rarely the big corporate ones with procurement departments — they’re the friendly “quick jobs” agreed over email. A one-page contract that takes five minutes to sign is what turns “can you also just…” into a paid change order, and an unpaid invoice into an enforceable debt.
Self-signing is free, local & private — never uploaded. Sending for signature needs a free account (just your email).
Key clauses every freelance contract needs
- Deliverables & revision limit — e.g. two revision rounds included, more billed at your hourly rate
- Payment terms — deposit up front (commonly 30–50%), due dates for the rest, and a late fee
- IP transfer on full payment — the client owns the work only after the final invoice clears
- Kill fee — what you keep if the client cancels partway through
- Independent-contractor status — you set your own hours and tools, and handle your own taxes
- Late-payment terms — interest after the due date, and the right to pause work while invoices sit unpaid
- Client dependencies — deadlines shift when feedback or materials arrive late
- Portfolio rights — you may show the finished work in your portfolio
Common mistakes that cost freelancers money
- Handing over source files or IP before the final payment lands
- “Revisions until you’re happy” — an unlimited-revisions clause in disguise
- Starting work without a deposit — a cancelled project then pays nothing, and a deposit is also the cheapest test of whether a client pays at all
- Letting the client dictate your hours and tools — that’s employee-style control, which muddies your contractor status (and their tax position)
Common questions
Do I really need a contract for a small gig?
Yes — small gigs generate disputes at the same rate as big ones; the losses are just easier to swallow. A short contract also signals you’re a professional. Signing it doesn’t need to be a chore: with FairSign you can sign and return a contract from your phone in about 90 seconds, no account needed.
Who owns the work — me or the client?
Whatever the contract says. The cleanest pattern for freelancers: you retain ownership until full payment, then rights transfer to the client, while you keep the right to display the work in your portfolio. If the contract is silent, US copyright law generally leaves ownership with you — which surprises clients and causes exactly the fight the clause would have prevented.
My US client asked for a W-9 — is that normal?
Completely. US businesses collect a Form W-9 from freelancers they pay $600 or more in a year, so they can file a 1099-NEC with the IRS. It’s a tax form, not a contract — you can fill and sign it in your browser, locally, without the form ever being uploaded.
This page is general information for small businesses — not legal advice. For your specific situation, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.