Free UK Freelance Contract Template

Maintained by the FreelanceToolkit UK editorial team · Plain-English, governed by English law ·

Fill in the form on the left. The preview on the right is your contract. When you're happy, click Print / Save PDF and choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog. No sign-up. Everything stays in your browser.

The parties

Your business name (the Supplier)

Your address

Client business name (the Client)

Client address

The services

Description of services

Be specific. Vague scopes are the #1 source of disputes.

Start date

Estimated completion date

Deliverables

Fees & payment

Fee structure

Amount (£)

Payment schedule

Payment terms (days)

Add VAT at 20% (tick if you're VAT-registered)

IP & confidentiality

IP ownership

"Transfer on final payment" is the standard for client work. Retention is more common for SaaS / template-based work.

Supplier may include the work in their portfolio (recommended — keep this ticked)

Mutual confidentiality clause (recommended)

Termination & liability

Notice period to terminate (days)

Liability cap

Sign-off

Signed by (Supplier)

Signed by (Client)

Contract date

Drafts are saved in your browser only — nothing is uploaded.

How to use this contract

This is a general UK freelance services contract suitable for most one-person businesses doing project or retainer work: design, development, consulting, writing, marketing, photography, and similar services. It assumes the Supplier (you) is operating as a sole trader or limited company and the Client is a UK-based business.

What's in it

The parties — who's contracting with whom.
Services — what you're doing, what the deliverables are, and when.
Fees — what you're charging, in what structure, with what payment schedule.
Payment terms — when invoices are due (14 days is sensible, 30 is common). Late payment interest is referenced via the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998, which lets you charge 8% above the Bank of England base rate.
Intellectual property — who owns the work. "Transfer to Client on final payment" is the standard; it protects you if they don't pay.
Portfolio rights — you can show the work to other prospects.
Confidentiality — neither side discloses the other's commercial information.
Termination — either side can end the contract with notice; you get paid for work completed up to the termination date.
Liability cap — limits how much you owe if something goes wrong, usually to the total fees paid.
Governing law — English law, English courts.

What it's not

This template is general guidance, not bespoke legal advice. For high-value contracts (£25k+), regulated industries (financial services, healthcare, public-sector), or anything involving personal data subject to UK GDPR controller-processor obligations, get a solicitor to review or draft something bespoke. Briefly Legal, LawBite, and Sparqa offer affordable UK contract reviews from ~£100.

Customising it

The output reflects the choices you make in the form. Common customisations:

Adding a Statement of Work. If you'll do multiple projects under one master agreement, attach a separate one-page SoW per project — it keeps the master contract reusable.
Adding milestones. For larger projects, break payment by deliverable: e.g. 25% on design sign-off, 50% on dev complete, 25% on launch.
Restricting IP transfer to specific deliverables. Useful if you use proprietary frameworks or templates — you transfer the bespoke output, but retain your reusable building blocks.
Adding a kill fee. If you're worried about cancellation, add a clause: "If Client terminates without cause, Supplier is entitled to [X]% of the remaining contracted fee."

Signing it

Wet-ink signatures aren't required in England & Wales for service contracts — an exchange of emails confirming agreement, a DocuSign / HelloSign envelope, or even both parties' names typed at the foot are enough. The clearer the audit trail, the better. The cleanest setup: PDF the completed contract, send it to the client, ask for their reply "I agree to the terms of this contract" with their typed name and date.

This is general guidance, not legal advice for your specific situation. If anything material is at stake, get a solicitor's eyes on it.