Free Contract Templates

What is a contract template?

A contract template is a complete agreement with the details left blank. The structure, the clauses, and the wording are already written; you fill in the names, dates, fees, and scope for your deal, change anything that doesn’t fit, and send it for signature.

It saves you from two bad options. Writing a contract from scratch every time is slow, and it is easy to forget a clause you only miss when something goes wrong. Working without a contract is worse: when a client disputes the scope, pays late, or claims the work, a handshake leaves you with nothing to point to.

Every contract in this library is written so both sides can read it and understand what they are agreeing to. Every blank is left open for your details, and the whole contract is on its page, so you can read it before you download it.

What every business contract should cover

The details change from one type of contract to the next, but almost every business agreement needs the same core terms. If a contract you are about to sign is missing one of these, ask why.

• The parties. The full legal names and addresses of everyone signing, so there is no doubt who is bound.
• The work or the deal. Exactly what is being provided: the services, deliverables, deadlines, and what counts as done. Vague scope causes more disputes than any other clause.
• Payment. How much, when, how it is invoiced, and what happens when a payment is late.
• Term and termination. When the agreement starts and ends, how either side can end it early, and what is owed when it does.
• Ownership. Who owns the work once it is paid for, and what each side keeps.
• Confidentiality. How each side protects the other’s private information, and for how long.
• Liability. A sensible limit on what either side can claim if something goes wrong.
• Changes, notices, and governing law. How the agreement can be changed, where formal notices go, and which law applies.
• Signatures. A signature block for every party, and permission to sign electronically.

How to choose the right contract

Every contract here is written for the business that sends it for signature, and it is signed by the person on the other side. Pick the one that matches what you need signed.

• Marketing work. The marketing agreement covers campaigns, ad spend, revisions, and approvals before anything goes live.
• Advice and expertise. The consulting agreement covers an engagement where the client pays for your expertise and makes their own decisions.
• A defined job or project. The independent contractor agreement covers hands-on work with a clear result, with a deposit, change requests, and fixes after delivery.
• Bookkeeping, tax, and other recurring client work. The engagement letter confirms the services, what the client must provide and by when, your fees, and who keeps which records.
• Hiring an employee. The offer letter confirms the role, start date, pay, benefits, and conditions of a job offer, with at-will employment for US roles.
• Sharing confidential information. The non-disclosure agreement protects what you share with a partner, contractor, or supplier before you work together, including trade secrets.
• Filming or photographing people. The talent release form covers a production’s right to use an actor’s, extra’s, or crew member’s name, likeness, and voice, with ownership of the footage and a parent or guardian block for minors.

Each contract’s page explains what it covers, how it differs from the closest alternative, and how to fill it in.

How to use these contracts

1. Read it on the page. Every contract is shown in full, so you can check it fits before you download anything.
2. Download it. Open it in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or Pages. The first page explains how to get it signed; delete it before you send.
3. Edit it to fit your business. Change the terms, the work, and the price to match your deal.
4. Save it as a PDF and send it with Inkly. Upload it from your dashboard, place the signature and date fields, add the other party, and send. They sign from a link in their email, on any device, without creating an account.

Getting a contract signed electronically

In the United States, the ESIGN Act and UETA give electronic signatures the same legal effect as handwritten ones for most business contracts, and the EU’s eIDAS regulation does the same across Europe. Are electronic signatures legally binding? covers the details and the few exceptions.

When everyone has signed, Inkly emails each party the signed PDF with a Certificate of Completion: an audit trail of who signed, when, and from where. Sending is free on Inkly’s Free plan, with unlimited documents and no credit card. If you send the same contract again and again, Pro and Teams let you save it as a reusable template with automatic reminders.