Free Retainer Agreement Template, Fill & Sign Online
A retainer agreement books ongoing work for a recurring fee. It is the most stable revenue a freelancer or agency can have — and the easiest to lose money on, because the client's idea of what the retainer covers grows quietly, month after month.
The fix is not a bigger fee. It is a written boundary: a defined number of hours or deliverables per month, and a stated rate for anything beyond that.
Self-signing is free, local & private, never uploaded. Sending for signature needs a free account (just your email).
Terms that keep a retainer profitable
- What is included: a specific hour bank or a specific list of deliverables per month. "Ongoing support" is not a scope.
- What is excluded: name the work that is explicitly outside, and what it costs. This line saves the awkward conversation later.
- Rollover: do unused hours carry into next month? Most agreements say no, and say it plainly, because rollover creates an unbounded liability.
- Overage rate: the hourly rate once the bank is spent, and whether the client must approve overage before you work it.
- Payment timing: retainers are billed in advance. Say so, because billing in arrears turns a retainer into ordinary invoicing.
- Response times: what "available" actually means. Two business days is a commitment; "whenever needed" is not.
- Termination: notice period on both sides, usually 30 days. State separately whether the final month is refunded or worked out.
Mistakes that make a retainer unprofitable
- No hour cap. The client is paying monthly and will reasonably use as much as they can. Without a cap you have sold unlimited access.
- Allowing rollover without expiry. A client who under-uses for six months and then draws the whole balance at once has done nothing wrong.
- Billing in arrears. The point of a retainer is guaranteed income before the work; invoicing after removes that entirely.
- No review clause. A scope that fitted the client a year ago rarely fits them now, and there is no natural moment to raise it.
Common questions
Should a retainer be paid in advance?
Yes — that is what distinguishes it from ordinary hourly billing. The client is reserving your capacity, and payment up front is what makes the reservation real.
What happens to unused hours?
Whatever the agreement says. The common arrangement is use-it-or-lose-it, precisely because the client is paying for availability rather than only for output. If you do allow rollover, cap it. One month's worth, expiring after 60 days, for example.
How do I raise a retainer fee?
Include an annual review clause from the start, with a stated notice period. Raising a fee is a normal conversation when the contract already anticipated it, and an unpleasant one when it does not.
This page is general information for small businesses, not legal advice. For your specific situation, talk to a licensed attorney in your state.