Get a freelance contract signed online

Why freelancers need a signed contract

Plenty of freelance work starts on an email that says 'sounds great, go ahead'. That can form a contract, but it rarely says what happens when the client asks for a fourth round of changes, pays 90 days late or cancels halfway through. A short signed contract answers those questions before they are asked.

Some places now require one. New York State's Freelance Isn't Free Act, in force statewide since August 2024 after New York City passed its own version in 2017, requires a written contract for freelance work worth $800 or more, alone or over 120 days, and sets payment deadlines.

The clauses a freelancer should insist on

These protect cash flow more than any invoice reminder ever will.

• Scope: the deliverables, in plain words, and what is not included.
• Revisions: the number of rounds included, and the day rate for more.
• Fees and deposit: many freelancers take 30 to 50 percent upfront.
• Payment terms: a due date, and late payment interest. In the UK, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 lets a business supplier claim statutory interest at 8 percent above the Bank of England base rate, plus fixed compensation.
• Kill fee: what the client pays if they cancel partway.
• Ownership: IP passes to the client only on payment in full, with a licence for you to show the work in your portfolio.
• Feedback windows: if the client does not respond within, say, ten working days, the milestone counts as approved.

Signing order: who signs first?

If the contract is yours, sign it first and send it to the client. It shows the terms are on offer and the client only has to add their signature. In Sign PDF you can be a signer on your own document: set the order to 'one after another' with yourself first.

If the client sends you their contract, read the IP and payment clauses before signing. Large clients often use paper drafted for suppliers, with 60 or 90 day payment terms and an IP assignment that takes effect on creation rather than on payment.

Does it need a witness or anything special?

No. A freelance contract is a simple contract, and an e-signature is as good as ink under the US ESIGN Act, the UK's Electronic Communications Act 2000 and the EU eIDAS Regulation. No witness or notary is needed. This is general information rather than legal advice; for a large or long engagement it is worth a lawyer's hour.

Mistakes freelancers make

Starting before the contract is signed, then finding the client 'never agreed' to the deposit. Signing with a contact who has no authority to commit their company's budget. Leaving the scope so loose that a logo project quietly becomes a full brand identity.

One more: not keeping the signed copy. When you chase an invoice six months later, a sealed PDF with a certificate showing when the client signed carries more weight than a forwarded email.

How to do it in Sign PDF

Upload your contract as Word, Pages or PDF. Sign PDF places the 'Freelancer' and 'Client' signature and date boxes from the wording on the page. Ask the assistant to 'add client initials next to the payment terms' if you want that clause acknowledged.

Sign your part, then the client gets an email link, confirms a code and signs in the browser. The Light plan at $5 a month covers two documents a month, which suits a freelancer who takes on a couple of new clients a month. Busy freelancers usually move to Full at $10 for unlimited documents and templates.