FFreelanceGuide

Free tool · No signup

Freelance contract generator

Fill in your project the way you'd explain it to a friend — who's hiring whom, what you're delivering, and how you get paid — and watch a clean, plain-English services agreement build itself. Then print or save it as a PDF.

Build your agreement

The parties

Scope & dates

When the agreement starts. Left blank, it shows as a bracket you can't miss on review.

Money

A number is treated as the project total. Type a rate like "$125/hour" and it's used as-is.
Capped at the total fee.
If the client cancels after work starts.

Standard clauses

Termination & law

Payment terms
Total fee
Deposit up front
Balance due later
Late fee
Cancellation fee

Nothing you type leaves your browser — the document is built locally and never sent anywhere. This is a template, not legal advice; have an attorney review it before you use it.

Live preview

        

How the freelance contract generator works

A freelance agreement does one job: it writes down what both sides already think they agreed to, before the misunderstandings start. Most freelance disputes aren't about bad faith — they're about a scope that was fuzzy, a payment date nobody pinned down, or who owns the files after launch. This tool turns a short form into a clean, readable services agreement that puts those terms in plain English, so a non-lawyer client can actually read it and sign.

Everything runs in your browser as you type. The right-hand panel does two things: a small payment ledger that visibly reconciles your money terms — so you can see at a glance that the deposit plus the balance equals the total fee — and a live document that rebuilds with every keystroke. When you're happy with it, "Download / Print PDF" opens your browser's print dialog with a stylesheet that strips away the website and prints only the agreement; choose "Save as PDF" as the destination.

total fee = deposit (due up front) + balance (due per the schedule)
deposit is capped at the total fee · late & cancellation fees are stated, not added to the total
clauses you switch off are removed and the remaining sections renumber automatically

The fields map directly to the clauses lawyers expect to see: the parties and effective date open the agreement; scope defines the work and flags anything outside it as a change order; fees, deposit, schedule, and late fee become the payment section; and toggles add IP assignment on final payment, confidentiality, and an independent-contractor clause. The termination terms set a notice period and an optional cancellation fee, and the governing-state field names the law that applies.

When to use it — and when to call a lawyer

This is a strong starting point for routine freelance work: a design project, a writing engagement, a development sprint, a consulting retainer. It gets you a coherent draft in two minutes instead of a blank page or a copied-and-pasted template you don't understand. But it is a template, not advice tailored to your facts. For anything high-value, anything involving employees or equity, regulated industries, international clients, or terms you're unsure about, have a qualified attorney review it before you sign. The bracketed placeholders are deliberate: where you leave a field blank, the document shows [LIKE THIS] so a missing name or date can't quietly slip into a signed contract.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a legally binding contract?

It's a customizable template — a well-organized starting point, not legal advice, and not a guarantee that any clause is enforceable where you live. Contract law varies by state and by situation. Use it to draft quickly and to make sure you haven't forgotten an important term, then have a qualified attorney review it before you rely on it for anything that matters.

How do I save it as a PDF?

Click "Download / Print PDF." That opens your browser's normal print dialog, but a print stylesheet hides the website and lays out only the agreement on a clean page. In the print dialog, set the destination to "Save as PDF" (every modern browser has this) and save. You can also "Copy text" to paste into a word processor, or "Download .txt" for a plain-text copy.

What's the difference between a deposit and a kill (cancellation) fee?

A deposit is money paid up front and applied against the total fee — it reserves your time and protects you if a client disappears. A cancellation (kill) fee is what the client owes if they call the project off after you've started, to cover your reserved time and lost opportunity. In this template, any deposit already paid is credited against the cancellation fee, so the client isn't charged twice for the same start.

Why does IP transfer only happen on final payment?

It's a common freelance protection: the client doesn't own the finished work until they've paid in full. Until then you retain ownership, which gives you leverage if an invoice goes unpaid. You also keep your pre-existing tools, templates, and general know-how, and the right to show the work in your portfolio. You can toggle this clause off if your engagement calls for different terms — but discuss the IP arrangement with an attorney if it's important.