Core contract
Service agreement
The primary document for any client engagement. Defines the relationship, payment terms, IP ownership, revision limits, termination, and governing law. Use this for any project where you're delivering a service.
Before the kickoff call, before the first deliverable — get the terms in writing. Scope, payment, IP, revisions, and what happens if something goes sideways.
Free. No registration. No card. No catch.
What's happening here
The verbal agreement is made. The excitement is real. The problem is that nothing has been written down yet — and what isn't written down will be disputed later.
A client hired you for a project, a service, or an ongoing engagement. They've agreed to the rate. Work begins soon. The relationship is new and the expectations are still unwritten.
Without a written agreement, "we agreed to X" becomes your word against theirs the moment anything changes. Scope expands. Payment slips. The client claims ownership of work you thought was yours.
Scope creep with no recourse. Invoices that don't get paid. Deliverables used before payment clears. Projects that drag on with no clear end. All of these happen to professionals who rely on trust alone.
The right agreement for this situation
The right combination depends on the complexity of the work, the client's size, and how sensitive the information being shared is.
Core contract
The primary document for any client engagement. Defines the relationship, payment terms, IP ownership, revision limits, termination, and governing law. Use this for any project where you're delivering a service.
Scope document
The project-specific attachment. Fixed deliverables, defined milestones, hard deadlines. Works as a standalone for simple projects or as an exhibit to a master service agreement for repeat clients.
Pre-project privacy
If the client is sharing sensitive business information before or during the engagement — pricing strategy, customer lists, unreleased products — a mutual NDA protects both sides from the start.
For ongoing work
If this client will be paying you monthly for ongoing services — content, maintenance, advisory — a retainer agreement sets the fixed fee, hour limits, rollover rules, and cancellation notice.
What BizDraft asks you
Your name or business name, the client's name, and both addresses. If either side is an LLC or corporation, we use the entity name.
Describe the project or service in plain language. BizDraft converts it into a defined scope of services clause with clear deliverable language.
Fixed price, hourly, milestone-based, or retainer. Deposit amount, invoice schedule, and what triggers final payment.
Does IP transfer on full payment? Does the client own everything outright? Do you retain a license to show the work in your portfolio? BizDraft drafts the clause that matches.
How many revision rounds are included? What triggers a change-order? This is the clause that prevents "just one more thing" from becoming unpaid work.
Governing law and dispute resolution. BizDraft adjusts the termination, payment, and IP clauses based on the state you select.
What to watch out for
"Website redesign" means something different to everyone. If the contract doesn't list exactly what's included and excluded, the client's interpretation wins by default.
Starting work without a deposit means you're financing the client's project. If they disappear at 60%, you have no recourse beyond small claims.
If your contract transfers ownership on delivery rather than on full payment, the client can use your work and dispute the invoice simultaneously. Make IP transfer conditional on receipt of final payment.
Contracts without approval deadlines let clients delay indefinitely. If a client doesn't respond within a defined window, work should be deemed approved and the project clock keeps moving.
If a client cancels mid-project, what do they owe you? Without a termination clause specifying payment for completed work, you may walk away with nothing.
Example
What you tell BizDraft
"I'm a brand strategist. I'm onboarding a new e-commerce client for a full brand identity project — logo, color system, typography. Fixed price of $8,500. 50% deposit upfront, 50% on delivery. 2 revision rounds. IP transfers on final payment. New York."
What BizDraft generates
A service agreement with defined scope, $4,250 deposit clause, 2-revision limit with change-order language, IP transfer conditional on receipt of $8,500, 30-day kill fee, and New York governing law. Approximately 12 sections, ready to download.
Download options
A Word file you can edit further, a PDF ready for e-signature, and an inline editor to adjust any clause before downloading. Send via SignNow or any e-signature tool.
Frequently asked questions
For a one-time project with a single client, a service agreement with scope built in is usually enough. For repeat clients or large projects, separating the master agreement from the project-specific SOW makes it easier to add new work without re-signing the whole contract.
Read theirs carefully — especially the IP clause. Large clients often use contracts that transfer all IP on execution, not on payment. Counter-propose payment-triggered transfer, and always check for non-compete clauses that limit your future work.
BizDraft takes under five minutes. Send the draft digitally before you start the first task — even an email reply with "I agree" to the PDF creates a record. No signature is riskier than a fast signature.
If you're a solo professional, a non-solicitation preventing the client from hiring your subcontractors or team members directly is worth including. If you're an agency, it's essential.
Your inputs are used only to generate your agreement during the session. BizDraft doesn't store your draft or share your information. Close the tab and the session is gone.
Five minutes. No registration. A real agreement, ready for signature.
Draft your client agreement