What every freelance contract should include (before you invoice)

Write parties, scope, payment terms, deposit, late fees plus pause, revisions, kill fee, and IP before you start. Checklist, not legal advice.

Published on

Apr 2, 2026

Written by

Balint Bogdan

TL;DR

Most invoice fights started in a vague email both of you called “the agreement.” Write eight things before work: who pays whom, counted deliverables, when money moves, when work may start (deposit), what happens if they are late (fee and pause), how many revisions, what they pay if they cancel, and IP only after they pay in full. This is a checklist, not legal advice. Brisk invoices and reminders enforce the money side after you both said yes. Contracts are not a Brisk feature today.

Key takeaways

Invoice fights are often contract gaps. Write the terms before you start.
Cover parties, scope, payment terms, deposit, late fees (and pause), revisions, kill fee, and IP.
Be specific enough that finance and a future-you can apply the rule without a call.
This is a checklist, not counsel. Big or cross-border work deserves a real review.
A live invoice page and reminders help after the yes. They do not replace the yes.

This is for a freelancer about to start on a Slack “sounds good.” I invoice for a living. I am not your lawyer. Large or cross-border work needs a real review.

Brisk is building contracts. They are not a feature you can turn on today. Until they are, you still need something in writing. A shared doc is better than a handshake.

Price model does not replace terms. See retainer vs project.

Why does this sit next to invoicing?

An invoice is a request against a story you both already accepted. Missing pieces make the request feel optional. The first invoice guide is after the work. This checklist is before. The invoice template waits until terms exist. You need the eight items, not a 20-page PDF.

Who has to be named?

Who is hiring you. Who is getting paid.

Write legal names, not Slack display names. If you are paid as a company, use that name. If they have a parent company and a brand, ask which entity signs and which entity pays. Those are sometimes different.

Add:

Billing email
A named contact for the work
A named contact for payment, if they have one

When an invoice gets ghosted, “I sent it to the only email I had” is a weak place to be. Get the second email while they still want you.

What counts as scope?

What you will do. What you will not do. What “done” means.

Scope is not a vibe. It is a list.

Good enough:

Deliverables (count them)
What you need from them, and by when
What is out of scope in one blunt line

“Website” is not scope. “Five pages, desktop and mobile, two rounds of revision on copy you provide, no custom app” is scope.

If you sell a retainer, write the cap. Hours, posts, tickets — pick a unit. Write what happens when they blow the cap. Write that unused time dies or rolls once. Vague retainers become unlimited access.

When they ask for more later, you are not being difficult. You are pointing at the list. That is how you stop scope creep) without a fight.

How do I write payment terms a finance person can quote?

When money moves. Not “net 30” as folklore. A date logic both of you can calculate.

Write:

Currency
Amount, or how the amount is calculated
When you invoice (on send, on milestone, on the 1st)
When they must pay (due on receipt, 14 days, 30 days)
How they pay (transfer, card, the live invoice page)

Say the due date rule in a sentence a finance person can quote. “Due 14 days after the invoice date” is clear. “Paid when the campaign launches” is not. Launch dates move.

If you want to get paid faster, this section is the lever. The reminder emails only enforce what you wrote here. See get paid faster).

How much deposit should I write down?

When work is allowed to start.

A deposit is not a personality test. It is a booking fee for your calendar.

Write:

The percent or the amount
That work starts after it clears
Whether it is applied to the last invoice or the first

I like start / midpoint / end on larger projects. I like 30–50% before a project is “in the queue.” Your number can differ. The rule should not be “I will invoice when I feel brave.”

If they refuse any deposit on a new relationship, that is information. Read should freelancers ask for a deposit).

Do I need late fees, or just a pause?

A late fee only works if it is in the agreement and you are willing to apply it.

Write:

The fee or the interest, in plain numbers
When it starts (the day after due, after 14 days — pick one)
That you may pause work on unpaid invoices

The pause matters more than the fee for most freelancers. Fees are a nudge. Pause is how you stop lending them labor.

Do not invent a fee in a reminder email if it is not here. That is how you look unserious.

I am not telling you which percent is “standard” in your country. I am telling you to write the rule before you need it, and to check local rules with someone qualified if you charge interest.

How many revisions should I include?

How many. On what. When they expire.

“Unlimited revisions until you are happy” is how a project becomes a second job.

Write:

Number of rounds included
What a round means (one bundled set of notes, not 14 scattered voice notes)
The window (14 days after delivery, for example)
The rate for extra rounds

This is kindness. Clients know how to give feedback. You know when you are done.

What is a kill fee for?

What happens if they cancel.

Projects die. Budgets freeze. A founder leaves. If you have already blocked the month, “just stop” is not neutral.

Write:

They can cancel in writing
What they still pay (deposit kept, work to date, a percent of the remaining fee)
What they get if they cancel (files so far, or nothing until paid)

You can be fair and still be paid for the hole in the calendar. A kill fee is not a punishment. It is the price of a reserved slot.

If you cannot say the number out loud, you will fold when they cancel on a Friday. Write the number while you are calm.

Who owns the work, and when?

Intellectual property. The files. The code. The words.

Default confusion: they think they own it the day you Slack a preview. You think they own it when the last invoice clears.

Write the sequence:

You own the work until you are paid in full
On full payment, they get the license or the assignment you agreed
What they may not do with unpaid drafts
Whether you may show the work in a portfolio, and when

“License” and “assignment” are not the same thing. Get this clause checked on software or a brand system. The invoice is easier to collect when the files are still yours on paper until the money lands.

Add timeline, change orders, confidentiality, termination, expenses, and one named approver when the job is not tiny. If the client is a red flag before you sign, a prettier contract will not save you. It will only make the exit cleaner.

How long should the contract be?

Long enough that a stranger could invoice from it. Short enough that both of you will read it.

For a small job, a one-page statement of work plus these eight headings is enough. For a retainer, add the cap, the overage rate, and the review date.

Do not hide the payment terms on page nine. Put money near the top. People sign what they actually see.

How does this show up on the invoice?

The invoice should repeat the parts a finance person needs: parties, amount, due date, what was delivered, how to pay.

It should not be the first time they hear about a deposit or a late fee.

If you use Brisk, the live invoice page carries the amount, the due date, and the pay path (card, bank, Apple Pay, Google Pay). Reminders can follow the terms you wrote. Free: 3 invoices a month. Pro is $6/mo if you want view tracking. The product does not replace the agreement. It enforces the money side after you both said yes.

Write the agreement in whatever tool you already use. Do not wait for a Brisk contracts feature.

Audit the last “sounds good” thread against the eight. Add missing items to the next template. Do not rewrite a closed job. Then invoice with a date a human can see. If they miss it, you already have the emails.

FAQ

What should I put in a freelance contract before I start?

Parties, counted scope, a payment date rule, deposit, late fee plus pause, revision cap, kill fee, and IP after full payment.

How much should I put as a deposit?

I write 30–50% before a new project is in the queue, and I do not start until it clears. Your number can differ. The rule cannot be “I will ask when I feel brave.”

Do I need a late fee if I can pause work?

The pause matters more for most freelancers. Write both if you will actually use them. Never invent a fee in a reminder if it is not in the agreement.

Is a Slack “sounds good” enough for a small job?

No. A one-page note with the eight headings is enough. A handshake is not.

Who owns the files if they have not paid?

Write that you own the work until they pay in full. Then they get the license or assignment you agreed. Get that clause checked on software or brand systems.