Freelance Contract Template

Parties and date

This Agreement is made on 19 September 2026 between:

[Freelancer name] of [Freelancer address] ("the Contractor")

and

[Client name] of [Client address] ("the Client").

The work

The Contractor will provide the services described in the proposal agreed between the Parties, which forms part of this Agreement.

Work starts on [start date] and is due by [delivery date]. That date assumes the Client supplies content, access, feedback and approvals within five working days of a request; time lost waiting moves the delivery date by the same amount.

Changes and revisions

The fee includes 2 rounds of revision on the work delivered. A round means one consolidated set of feedback, not a series of separate requests.

Work that changes the agreed scope - new pages, new features, a change of direction after approval - is a change request. The Contractor will quote for it before starting, and it is only chargeable once the Client has agreed in writing.

Approval given at one stage is not reopened free of charge at a later one.

Fee and payment

The fee for the work described above is [fee], exclusive of any applicable tax.

A deposit of 50% is payable before work begins. Work is scheduled when the deposit clears, not when the Agreement is signed. The deposit is non-refundable and is set against the final invoice.

The fee covers the Contractor time only. Third-party costs such as stock images, fonts, plugins and hosting are the Client responsibility and are bought in the Client own name.

Invoices are payable within 14 days of the invoice date.

Late payment

If an invoice is not paid by its due date the Contractor may suspend work and withhold delivery of files until it is paid, and may charge interest on the overdue amount.

Where this Agreement is governed by the law of England and Wales, the Contractor may claim interest and a fixed recovery charge under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. Where it is governed elsewhere, the Contractor may charge interest at 4% above the relevant central bank base rate, accruing daily.

Suspension for non-payment is not a breach by the Contractor, and any delivery date moves by at least the length of the suspension.

Ownership of the work

On payment in full, the Contractor assigns to the Client all intellectual property rights in the final deliverables created specifically for this project. Until payment is received in full, the Contractor retains all rights and the Client has no licence to use the work - including drafts and previews.

The Contractor keeps ownership of anything pre-existing that was used to build the deliverables - components, libraries, templates, methods and know-how - and grants the Client a licence to use those elements as part of the deliverables. Concepts, drafts and versions not selected by the Client remain the Contractor property.

The Contractor may show the work in a portfolio, in case studies and in applications for work, and may name the Client as a client. Anything the Client identifies in writing as confidential is excluded.

What each side promises

The Contractor will perform the services with reasonable skill and care, and warrants that the work is original and does not knowingly infringe anyone else's rights.

The Client warrants that anything it supplies - text, images, logos, data - is its own or properly licensed, and indemnifies the Contractor against any claim arising from supplied material.

The Contractor will correct defects in the deliverables reported within 30 days of delivery at no charge. That does not extend to changes of mind, new requirements, or problems caused by changes the Client made afterwards.

Independent contractor

The Contractor is self-employed and is not an employee, worker, partner or agent of the Client. The Contractor is responsible for their own tax, national insurance or social security contributions, and for any insurance they need.

The Contractor decides how and when the work is done, subject to the agreed deadlines, and may use substitutes or subcontractors provided the Contractor remains responsible for the work. Nothing in this Agreement prevents either Party from working with anyone else.

Confidentiality

Each Party will keep the other's confidential business information secret, use it only for this project, and not disclose it to anyone who does not need it. This continues for three years after the project ends.

It does not apply to information that is public, already lawfully known, independently developed, or required to be disclosed by law.

Ending the agreement

Either Party may end this Agreement by giving written notice.

If the Client ends it, the Client pays all work completed to date, plus the deposit, which is non-refundable. The Contractor delivers everything completed and paid for at that point; rights in unpaid work do not transfer.

If the Contractor ends it other than for non-payment or breach by the Client, the Contractor refunds any fee paid for work not yet done and provides the work completed so far.

Either Party may end this Agreement immediately if the other commits a material breach that is not put right within 14 days of being asked in writing.

Liability

Neither Party is liable for loss of profit, loss of business, loss of data, or indirect or consequential loss. The Contractor total liability under this Agreement is limited to the fees paid under it.

Nothing in this clause limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for anything else that cannot lawfully be limited.

Neither Party is liable for delay caused by events outside its reasonable control, provided it tells the other promptly and does what it reasonably can to limit the effect.

General

This Agreement, with any proposal or statement of work referred to in it, is the entire agreement between the Parties. Changes must be in writing and agreed by both.

If any provision is unenforceable, the rest stays in force. Delay in enforcing a right does not waive it.

This Agreement is governed by the laws of England and Wales, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction. Before starting proceedings, the Parties will attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute between themselves.

Signed

[Freelancer name] (Contractor)

Signature: ______________________________

Name: __________________________________

Date: ___________________________________

[Client name] (Client)

Signature: ______________________________

Name: __________________________________

Position: _______________________________

Date: ___________________________________