Freelance contracts: Dos and don’ts to protect your work
How do you protect your career as a freelancer? The answer
is freelance contracts. Here’s why you should have them for all your freelance
projects. @ Read More: antioxidantllife
You must protect yourself and your work with a formal
contract — especially if you’re a freelancer.
At any company, employees sign a contract outlining the
terms and conditions of their employment, usually including information like
their job responsibilities, workplace policies, and compensation.
While freelancers often aren’t full-time employees, they can
ask clients to sign a freelance contract before starting a project together.
These contracts clearly define expectations for both parties, establish trust
and transparency, and serve as the foundation of a healthy working
relationship.
Many freelancers and independent contractors may feel they
don't need a contract for freelance work if they've never experienced troubles
with clients. Unfortunately, waiting until something goes wrong to create arrangements
leaves you susceptible to exploitative clients. Regardless of your prior
experience as a self-employed worker, it's entirely possible to run into
problems like:
If you don't have contracts in place already — or don't know
how to make a contract — we're here to walk you through the process.
What is a freelance contract, and why do you need one?
A freelance contract is a legal document outlining the terms
and conditions of a project between a freelancer and the client — whether
that’s a business or an individual — purchasing their services.
As a freelancer, having a contract with your client protects
both of you throughout the arrangement and offers several advantages. A
freelance contract: @ Read More: technoologylimited
Starting any freelance project without a contract puts you
at risk. They’re essential for legal protection, so ensure yours includes the
correct information to keep all terms and conditions valid and enforceable.
Essential terms for your freelance contract
Each freelance contract is unique to its project, but they
should all have a set of terms and clauses that establish expectations for both
parties. You may already have a go-to freelance contract template, but review
this list of essential conditions to see if you need to add any.
Here are eight essential terms to include in your contract.
1. Names and personal information
The first thing to add to any contract is your legal name,
the client's legal name (or company name), and personal information such as
contact numbers, emails, and addresses. Permitted characters are those used on
official documents like identification and tax forms.
Using legal names, work numbers, and professional email
addresses shows that you and the client conduct business professionally, not as
individuals. Ensure you ask the client for their physical business address, not their residential address (unless they’re the same). @ Read More: technoologyanalytics
If you're offering services to an organization, identify the
person who will be your point of contact for the project's duration. Having a
primary contact helps both parties avoid confusion and streamline workflow.
2. Project overview and scope
The project overview is one or two sentences and should
include information on the freelancer, the services they're offering, and to
whom they're offering them. This introduces the project scope and a longer
description of the details of the agreed-upon work.
A good project scope describes the exact working terms in a
contract and specifies the freelancer's bandwidth. Be clear and thorough when
writing a project scope to avoid scope creep and extra work. For example, a
freelance web designer's contract may specify they'll build a website for the
client but won't be responsible for finding a domain name and publishing the
site.
A project scope should include the following:
3. Deliverables
Deliverables are the services offered to the client that
must be completed and delivered at various stages throughout the project. The outcome
is likely also a deliverable. @ Read More: technoologyengineers
When making a contract, list each requested deliverable in
detail, the expected delivery date, and if you’ll send a draft to your client
for them to review beforehand. Currents are helpful for clients to identify
anything missed and make their expectations clear to prevent any
miscommunications.
Deliverables set a clear precedent for what's expected
during a project. You and the client could have completely different ideas of a
"high-quality logo," and understanding the client's demands ensures
you’ll spend less time revising and more time delivering quality results.
Let’s take an example of a web designer’s four-week project
for a client. The designer's schedule might look like this.
If you’re a web designer and need a little help, check out
our dedicated guide on contracts for web designers to learn what to keep in
mind when writing a freelance contract.
4. Deadlines
Deadlines are essential for you and the client to create a
timeline for deliverables and the entire project.
Determine the time needed for each task and add a few days as
a safety net to give yourself breathing room. As an independent worker, you
must prepare for unforeseen circumstances like illness, time off, and other
temporary setbacks that could throw you off track.
You'll also need to account for revisions or edits. Include
timeframes on how quickly the client must inform you if they want changes made
and what happens if those requests come in outside of the agreed-upon timeline.
For example, if a client is two days late with their
feedback, the project deadline should be extended by two days. Similarly, set
provisions for what happens if you miss a deadline (which is why we recommend
giving yourself a few days in the first place).
5. Intellectual property
Intellectual property rights are most relevant to
freelancers like writers, designers, or photographers who produce creative work.
This section of the contract should include two essentials:
To understand the second point better, consider it a
"license" instead of "rights." When you produce content —
like an article, a design, or a photo — you grant someone a license to use it.
In this case, they don’t automatically receive rights to use it for other
purposes.
Let's say you're a ghostwriter for someone who wants to
publish an autobiography. When the written work is complete, your client
receives publishing rights. They can print your writing as a book. Still, if
you haven't given them permission or a "license" to convert it into
an audiobook, they aren't legally allowed because of the intellectual property
clause in the contract.
6. Payment terms
Not being paid quickly after finishing a project is
frustrating, so include payment terms as part of your freelance agreement with
the client. Consider the following things when including payment terms:
Payment terms protect you if the client ends up being a
no-show. Ideally, this doesn't happen, but you should be prepared.
