Free Independent Contractor Agreement Template

What is an independent contractor agreement?

An independent contractor agreement is the contract an independent contractor sends a client before starting a job. It is sometimes called a contractor agreement, a freelance contract, or a contract for services. It fits almost any kind of independent work: design, development, writing, photography, repairs, installation, or any project where you are hired to do a defined piece of work for someone else.

It records the work you will do, what the client pays and when, who owns the finished work, and how either of you can end the job early. It also states that you run your own business and are not the client’s employee, which protects both of you.

Why you need one

Most problems on a job come from something that was never written down. A signed agreement settles them before you start.

• Getting paid. The client agrees to your price, your deposit, and when each invoice is due, and you can pause work if a payment is late.
• Scope creep. When the work is written down, extra requests become paid changes instead of free favors.
• Delays that aren’t yours. If the client is slow to give you access, files, or approvals, your deadlines move with them.
• Ownership. The client owns the finished work only once they have paid for it, and you keep your own tools and methods.
• Ending the job. If the client cancels halfway, you are paid for the work done and the materials already bought.
• A record if something goes wrong. If the client later disputes what was agreed, the signed agreement is the answer.

It also makes you look established. Clients trust a contractor who sends a clear contract before the first invoice.

What to include in an independent contractor agreement

Every job is different, but these are the elements that matter most, and where each one lives in this agreement.

1. The work

Describe exactly what you will do: the deliverables, where the work happens, and any deadlines. “Design and build a five-page website, with two rounds of revisions, delivered by May 15” is a scope. “Website help” is not. Section 1 holds this description, and anything outside it is a change the client approves in writing.

2. Price, deposit, and invoicing

Set your price and how it is structured: a fixed price, an hourly or daily rate, or payment by milestone. Ask for a deposit before you start, then say when you invoice the rest and how quickly the client must pay. Section 3 covers payment, including your right to pause work while an invoice is overdue.

3. Expenses and materials

If you buy materials or travel for the job, agree whether they are in your price or billed on top. Under this agreement, anything not in your price is billed at cost with receipts, once the client approves it. Section 4 covers expenses and materials.

4. What the client must provide

You can only finish on time if the client gives you what you need: information, access, files, and approvals. This agreement moves your deadlines when the client is late, and makes the client responsible for having the right to anything they give you. Section 5 covers it.

5. Independent contractor status

State that you are an independent business: you decide how and when you work, use your own tools, handle your own taxes and insurance, can take other clients, and can bring in your own help. Section 6 covers this.

6. Ownership of the work

The client owns the finished work once they have paid in full, which gives you leverage if an invoice is outstanding. You keep your tools, methods, and know-how, and you can show the work in your portfolio unless the client objects. Section 7 covers ownership.

7. Quality and fixes

Promise careful, professional work, and give the client a short window to report anything that doesn’t match the agreed scope, which you fix at no charge. That reassures the client without promising results you can’t control. Section 9 covers it.

8. Ending the agreement

Include a notice period, a faster route if one side breaks the agreement and does not fix it, and what the client pays if the job ends early: the work done so far and any materials you can’t return. Section 10 covers termination, and Sections 11 and 12 cover who is responsible if a third party makes a claim and cap each side’s liability.

Best practices for independent contractors

• Send it before you start. Never begin a job on a verbal yes.
• Take a deposit. It covers your costs and filters out clients who aren’t committed.
• Be specific about the work. Quantities, deadlines, and revision rounds prevent more disputes than any legal clause.
• Put every change in writing. When the client asks for more, confirm the new price before you do the extra work.
• Keep the signed copy. Store the signed agreement with the record of who signed and when.

How to fill in this agreement

1. Name both parties and the start date. Use your client’s full legal name, such as their registered company name, or their full name for a homeowner or individual. Use your business name as the Contractor.
2. Describe the work. Write the deliverables, the location, and any deadlines in Section 1.
3. Set your price and deposit. Describe the price structure, the deposit, when you invoice, and the payment period.
4. Choose the fix window and confidentiality period. Fourteen to thirty days to report problems and two to three years of confidentiality are common starting points.
5. Set the notice periods and governing law. Seven to thirty days’ notice suits most jobs.

Any blank you would rather your client complete, such as their address or the signing date, can stay empty. When you send the agreement in Inkly, you place a field over that line and your client fills it in when they sign.

Independent contractor agreement vs. consulting agreement

Both are sent by the person doing the work to their client. An independent contractor agreement suits hands-on work with a clear result: something you build, make, fix, or deliver. A consulting agreement suits advice: the client pays for your expertise and makes their own decisions about what to do with it.

If you do marketing work, the marketing agreement adds what that work needs, such as ad spend and approval of campaigns before they go live.

How to get it signed

Once it is filled in, save the agreement as a PDF, sign up for Inkly, and upload it from your dashboard. Add your client as a signer, place their signature and date fields, add your own, and send. Your client signs from a link in their email without creating an account, and you get the signed PDF back with an audit trail of who signed and when.

If you send the same agreement to every new client, save it for reuse on Pro and Teams, so the next client only needs a name and an email address, and automatic reminders follow up until they sign.