If you’re just starting your freelance career, you’ll need to know how to get a fair, comprehensive agreement. In this post, we’ll showcase how to get a freelance contract template at LawDistrict UK that fits your situation and outline pitfalls you must avoid.

When You Need a Freelance Contract

You must have a freelance contract whenever you do paid freelance work for a client. Even if it’s a one-off job or you know them well enough to trust them, a contract keeps both parties safe. It’s vital to make sure you get paid on time and can fulfil the client’s expectations.

This also helps with preventing scope creep. Without adequate descriptions of the services you provide, you might find yourself doing extra work, possibly unpaid. You need an agreement that sets clear terms and even helps you get ahead of potential disputes with clients.

What Your Contract Needs

Freelancing is quite a sensitive matter legally, so you’ll need a contract you know you can count on, especially if a problem emerges. You can procure this yourself or use an agreement your client creates. However, you should still check that this has every requirement.

Though your contract’s specifics might vary from one industry to the next, it should still cover all of the following:

• Your client’s name and contact information

• A detailed description of your services and deliverables

• Clear payment terms, including milestones

• Provisions for late payments 

• Start and end dates

• Delays that exceed the contract’s end date

• Terms for ending or renewing the contract

• Who owns the work you create

• Details on insurance and other requirements

How to Get a Fair Freelance Contract

Finding an online template is the best way to get a fair contract. These already come with every key clause, with space to add your own. The right website offers these templates for free or for a very low cost, which saves you a lot of time and money.

Once you start customising your contract, you’re just minutes away from a completed version. In fact, the actual customisation is as simple as answering pre-written questions, though you can also edit the actual text yourself once you export the document.

Try to use this contract instead of whatever your client suggests. If they refuse to budge, at least compare their version with one from a template site. If you notice any major omissions or issues in their agreement, bring these up and suggest a rewrite.

Common Contract Pitfalls

However, if you’re still new to the freelance world, you might have no clue about potential “traps” by unscrupulous clients. Alternatively, you might accept anything just to get work, but you’ll only end up burning yourself out.

Here are seven pitfalls you should watch out for when negotiating a freelance contract:

• No agreement: First and foremost, make sure you get a freelance agreement in the first place. Some clients insist it’s unnecessary for their own benefit.

• Vague scope: Your agreement must be clear about where your work begins and ends. If it isn’t, you might find yourself working more than you expected. 

• Ad-hoc work: Similarly, an unclear contract could end with your client giving you ad-hoc tasks that simply don’t fit with the services you’re contracted for.

• Disguised employment: Some clients want a full-time worker without paying benefits. If you can’t control how or when you work, you might be a disguised employee.

• Unclear payment terms: The contract should clearly state when you’ll get paid. If there are no due dates, you won’t be able to chase up payments.

• IP ambiguity: Your contract may not clarify who owns the work you create. You may not even know if you can include it in your portfolio.

• No late payment clause: Only sign a contract if it has late payment provisions. This lets you charge extra if the client doesn’t pay on time.

Tailoring Your Contract

A broad freelancer agreement works in most situations, but you’ll still need to make minor edits so it fits your services. For example, different fields have different payment structures — a writer can get paid by the word, while a construction worker will get paid per project milestone.

Here are a few other ways different industries may change their freelance contracts depending on the freelancer’s niche:

• Graphic designers can offer one or two rounds of free revisions

• Developers can promise to fix bugs for free for at least a year

• Writers might offer to ghostwrite content on the client’s behalf

• Videographers can provide raw footage for an extra fee

• Admin assistants can promise a certain response time

• Marketers may request access to the client’s online accounts

Final Thoughts

You can confidently take on clients and build your portfolio with a contract that fits your industry and avoids any red flags. Always use an online template to avoid significant omissions and spot when someone’s trying to arrange a bad deal.

Next, why not read these tips on how to financially protect your freelance business?