Independent Contractor Agreement Template
We’ve worked with lawyers and proofreaders to create a simple independent contractor agreement (PDF and Word) to help save you time and headaches doing compliance in your business.
Free Independent Contractor Agreement for Download
We’ve worked with lawyers and proofreaders to create a simple independent contractor agreement (PDF and Word) to help save you time and headaches doing compliance in your business.
What’s in this template?
- • Duties and responsibilities
- • Compensation plan
- • Termination clause
Click on this link to get our free independent contractor agreement template
What is an independent contractor agreement?
An independent contractor is a person or business that provides products or services to other businesses. Unlike employees, contractors don’t have regular work hours and invoice clients to complete specific jobs.
An independent contractor agreement is a legally binding document between the contractor and client that sets forth the terms and conditions for which work is to be completed.
The independent contractor agreement is there to hold all parties accountable for the success of the agreed work.
DISCLAIMER: We are not lawyers or a law firm and we do not provide legal, business or tax advice. We recommend you consult a lawyer or other appropriate professional before using any templates or agreements from this website.
Download our free Independent Contract Agreement Sample
You have clients to serve, and the last thing you need to worry about is compliance.
That’s why we’ve designed a fully modifiable independent contractor agreement to streamline your client intake and get on with delivering incredible work.
Click below to grab a copy of our template
When should you use an independent contractor contract?
Your contract is an essential tool in your business toolkit. After a prospective client inquires about your services, you’ll likely be up against some competition.
This is your moment to send a personalized proposal outlining all of the ways you can help your prospective client reach their goals and stand out from the crowd.
We recommend you attach your contract agreement to your proposal. So not only will your prospects get a clear idea of what value you’ll be adding if they were to hire you, but they also learn about your working conditions to see if they can meet your standards.
Your independent contractor agreement is also a resource to raise client concerns about your conditions. With this knowledge, you can negotiate your contract until you and your client are happy to accept the terms.
The elements of a great independent contractor agreements
Contract agreements can quickly get wordy and confusing; however, there are only a handful of things that really matter to start a contractor relationship.
Below are five key elements when establishing your independent contractor agreement.
1. What's the relationship between the contractor and the client?
Sometimes the work of an independent contractor closely resembles the work of an employee. The overlap of responsibilities between contractors and employees can cause a lot of confusion for clients.
Often unknowingly, clients can start treating independent contractors like employees, especially if contractors and employees are working together on projects.
It’s generally understood that the client directs the scope of the work to be completed for a contractor, but they cannot tell the contractor what to do or how to do it. This is what separates employees from contractors.
So it’s essential to mention the nature of the relationship between you, the independent contractor, and the client to mitigate any grey areas of how different roles are treated within the organization.
2. What are your duties and responsibilities?
Your responsibilities are the foundation of your contract agreement. You need to effectively communicate what role you’ll be playing to fulfill the goals of the project.
What are you offering in return for a fee? Your duties could be ongoing or one-off, depending on the nature of the project.
Also, by stating your duties, you can hold your client accountable to stay within the scope of the services you promised.
3. What are your payment terms?
This is the part of the agreement where you write down your payment terms. There are a few things to consider when it comes to compensation.
How will you be charging the client? The two options are a fixed fee or hourly rate.
How will you be paid? Consider all payment methods, including cheque, direct deposit, credit card, etc.
When will you be paid? Communicate to the client how often you expect to be paid.
4. Your commitment to confidentiality
As an independent contractor, you’re regularly exposed to sensitive client information. This could be customer data, team data, or proprietary product design or company processes.
Similarly, your approach to work may be considered proprietary to your business, and you want to keep that confidential.
It’s critical to make mention of confidentiality in your contract to protect sensitive information for all parties.
5. How do parties terminate the agreement?
As much as we’d like our business relationships to last forever, at some point, the work will come to an end.
There needs to be a dedicated section in your independent contractor agreement that outlines the situations in which the contract can be terminated and what notice needs to be provided.
Download our free Independent Contract Agreement
You have clients to serve, and the last thing you need to worry about is compliance.
That’s why we’ve designed a fully modifiable independent contractor agreement to streamline your client intake and get on with delivering incredible work.
Click below to grab a copy of our template
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ about our Independent Contractor Agreement Template
Contractor agreements can be formed verbally, written, and other forms of communication. However, we recommend that you draw up a formal independent contractor contract to be signed by all parties and eliminate any confusion about the nature of work to be performed.
While there are no specific requirements regarding what should be in your agreement, here are some standard inclusions:
- Parties involved
- Services offered
- Amendments
- Compensation
- Confidentiality
- Termination
- Liability
- Intellectual property
Like any contract, an independent contractor agreement may be terminated when:
- The work is completed
- Any party breaches the conditions of the contract
- All parties voluntarily agree to terminate the agreement
We’ve made our template to act like an independent contractor agreement form—meaning you can print it off to fill out, or you can edit it digitally using its Microsoft Word file format.
document preview
Independent Contract Agreement
Independent Contract Agreement
Parties
– This Independent Contract Agreement (hereinafter referred to as the “Agreement”) is entered into on ______________ (the “Effective Date”), by and between __________________________, with an address of ______________ (hereinafter referred to as the “Client”) and ______________ with an address of ______________ (hereinafter referred to as the “Contractor”) (collectively referred to as the “Parties”).
General
– The Client agrees that the Contractor possesses the relevant experience, necessary qualifications and abilities to provide services to the Client.
Services
– The duties of the Contractor towards the Client are listed below:
- ______________________________________________________
- ______________________________________________________
- ______________________________________________________
- ______________________________________________________
- ______________________________________________________
Compensation
– The Parties Agree that the Client will compensate the Contractor through the following means: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Term
– This Agreement shall be effective on the date of signing this Agreement (the “Effective Date”) and will terminate upon the completion of the provision of the services set forth in this Agreement.
– This Agreement may be prolonged only on written confirmation provided by both Parties.
Relationship Between The Parties
– The Parties agree that this Agreement is an independent contractor agreement where the Contractor provides the specified services and acts as an independent contractor.
– Under no circumstances shall the independent contractor be considered an employee.
– This Agreement does not create any other partnership between the Parties.
Confidentiality
– All terms and conditions of this Agreement and any materials provided during the term of the Agreement must be kept confidential by the Contractor, unless the disclosure is required pursuant to process of law.
– Disclosing or using this information for any purpose beyond the scope of this Agreement, or beyond the exceptions set forth above, is expressly forbidden without the prior consent of the Client.
Termination
– This Agreement may be terminated in case the following occurs:
- Immediately in case one of the Parties breaches this Agreement.
- At any given time by providing a written notice to the other party ______________ days prior to terminating the Agreement.
– Upon terminating this Agreement, the Client will be responsible to pay for all the services provided by the Contractor until the day of termination unless it is the Contractor who breaches this Agreement where he/she fails to rectify such breach upon reasonable notice.
Intellectual Property
– The Contractor agrees that any intellectual property provided to him/her by the Client will remain the sole property of the Client, including, but not limited to, copyrights, patents, trade secret rights, and other intellectual property rights associated with any ideas, concepts, techniques, inventions, processes, works of authorship, confidential information or trade secrets.
Amendments
– The Parties agree that any amendments made to this Agreement must be in writing, where they must be signed by both Parties to this Agreement.
– Accordingly, any amendments made by the Parties will be applied to this Agreement.
Severability
– In the event that any provision of this Agreement is found to be void and unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then the remaining provisions will remain in force in accordance with the Parties’ intention.
Governing Law
– This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of ______________.
Limitation Of Liability
– Under no circumstances will either party be liable for any indirect, special, consequential, or punitive damages (including lost profits) arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the transactions it contemplates (whether for breach of contract, tort, negligence, or other form of action) in the event that such is not related to the direct result of one of the Parties’ negligence or breach.
Legal Fees
– In the event of a dispute that results in legal action, the successful party will be entitled to the legal fees, such as attorney’s fees or other.
Signature And Date
– The Parties hereby agree to the terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement and such is demonstrated by their signatures below:
Client
Name: ______________________
Signature: ___________________
Date: _______________________
Contractor
Name: ______________________
Signature: ___________________
Date: _______________________
Related Proposals and Templates
Download our free Independent Contractor Agreement Forms
You have clients to serve, and the last thing you need to worry about is compliance.
That’s why we’ve designed a fully modifiable independent contractor agreement to streamline your client intake and get on with delivering incredible work.
Click below to grab a copy of our template
