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Get your freelance contract under control before you start work
A solid freelance contract is the cornerstone of any good collaboration, but all too often gets pickled because ”after all, you have things on e-mail”.
However, the truth is that most often it is information that is spread over many email threads, and if things don't go quite according to plan, both parties lack a common document that can be revisited.
You can find a link to download our freelance contract template further down in the article.
When you start a new Cooperation up, it is therefore alpha omega that you have control over what must be delivered, when it must be delivered, what is included and what it costs.
Our users have sent out invoices to thousands of Danish and foreign companies. We have collected here all the experiences we and our freelancers have made, and present your cheat sheet for what things to think about when you have the country of the customer and must draw up your freelance contract.
Free freelance contract template
If you want to manage the formalities between you and your customer, you can download our free contract template right here.
The ongoing and individual agreements
Cooperation agreements can usually be divided into two main groups: The ongoing cooperation agreements and those where a specific task has been agreed to be delivered.
Depending on the type of work you have to do, it is something you will be able to use in the next freelance agreement you have to make.
But is it even necessary to draw up a contract, because you have already agreed the most important things via email and telephone, and you may already have your standard business terms and conditions that you refer to?
Unfortunately, we have seen many times the freelancer and the customer with quite different perceptions of what was agreed - even if there were several emails back and forth.
Therefore, use the extra time to get it all in writing. You appear far more professional, this leads to more successful projects, and ultimately happy customers.
And when you are clear about what is included and what costs extra from the start, it is also a good opportunity to increase your earnings per customer.
Remember that as a Factofly user you have access to a number of standard contracts that you can use as a starting point, and our lawyer will also be happy to help you read it all through and give you feedback.
1. What must be delivered
As a starting point, you must be able to tick the following points:
- Exact description of what is to be delivered. When you have to make the description, write it so someone who comes in from the street and neither you nor your customer knows exactly what has been agreed and must be delivered.
- Proofreading and when they are located. Have a fixed number set and a price if the customer wants more.
- Get a firm agreement on what happens if you have to carry out work that is outside of the project. Is it for a fixed price, or do you have to give an offer, hourly price, etc.
- Get a clear agreement on whether extra work needs to be approved first, or whether you can just start.
- What happens if you are delayed.
- How and in what format it must be delivered.
- Are transport costs and time spent on transport part of the agreement or must it be paid separately.
Freelance with Factofly
Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own CVR number or registered company. We handle all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.
2. Duration of ongoing agreements
If you have an ongoing agreement with your customer, there are several things you should be aware of:
- How long the contract runs. Fixed end date or continuously until terminated by either you or your customer.
- What is the notice of termination both if it is an ongoing agreement or if there is a fixed end date? Should it then be possible to terminate it before that date?
- A normal notice of termination is 30 days to the first of a month.
- As a freelancer, are you guaranteed a certain number of hours while the contract runs? This means that your customer cannot stop supplying you with work from one day to the next, even if there is perhaps a month's notice of termination.
3. Rights over what you produce
- Who has the rights about what you do. If it is your customer, when do the rights transfer, on delivery, on payment, etc.
- Can what you make be used everywhere or does it have to be paid extra if your customer wants to use it both on their own website and in an advertisement, e.g.
4. Liability & Indemnity
- Remember to decide on compensation. Fortunately, it is very rare that this happens, but you can risk being presented with quite severe compensation claims. Therefore, remember to decide on it in the contract. A good rule of thumb is to limit the compensation to the payment you receive for the work, so that the compensation cannot be greater than that. If you do not remember to limit the compensation, there is in principle no upper limit to how large it can be.
- Remember that your own personal insurances usually do not cover when you do freelance work, so check whether your insurance covers or take out a professional liability/professional injury insurance before starting work.
5. References
- Customers give customers. It is crucial for your future customers that they can see what work you have done before. It gives them both the assurance that there are others who have had a successful collaboration with you, an opportunity to see what type of work you have done before, and whether it is the style they are looking for.
- So remember to have it written into the agreement that you may use them as a reference, show examples of the work you have done, and use their company name and logo for a testimonial.
Points 1 to 4 are need to have, point 5 is a nice to have.
You will stand incredibly strong, and have your back free by having uncovered the above points in your freelance contract.
Prepare the divorce before you enter into the marriage, with an agreement both parties are happy with. If the project goes a little off track, the freelance contract is your most important document to be able to go back and see which agreement you entered into at the time. Get started by downloading our Freelance contract template. And if you are a user of Factofly, you can spar with us before entering into a contract with a customer.
Freelance with Factofly
Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own CVR number or registered company. We handle all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.
Frequently asked questions
What is a freelance contract?
A freelance contract is a legal agreement between your client and you as a freelancer. In this type of contract, the terms of the project are defined, including the payment plan, expectations for the work, the duration of the agreement and rights. A good freelance contract outlines all rights and responsibilities that each party has, and it is important to have such a contract in place before starting your project.
At Factofly, we also have a lawyer who can help you review your freelance contract and give you feedback.
What should a contract look like?
In short, you must ensure that you have the following in place in your freelance contract:
- What work you as a freelancer must deliver to your client
- Duration of the agreement - is there a fixed end date or is it ongoing work. And what is notice of termination?
- Rights over the work – does the customer have the rights over the product you produce, and if so, when do the rights pass to the customer?
- Liability and compensation, so you don't risk having to face an unmanageable compensation claim if the accident happens
- References – Can you use the customer as a reference? This point is nice to have but nonetheless quite valuable to your freelance business.
Get your freelance contract under control before you start work
A solid freelance contract is the cornerstone of any good collaboration, but all too often gets pickled because ”after all, you have things on e-mail”.
However, the truth is that most often it is information that is spread over many email threads, and if things don't go quite according to plan, both parties lack a common document that can be revisited.
You can find a link to download our freelance contract template further down in the article.
When you start a new Cooperation up, it is therefore alpha omega that you have control over what must be delivered, when it must be delivered, what is included and what it costs.
Our users have sent out invoices to thousands of Danish and foreign companies. We have collected here all the experiences we and our freelancers have made, and present your cheat sheet for what things to think about when you have the country of the customer and must draw up your freelance contract.
Free freelance contract template
If you want to manage the formalities between you and your customer, you can download our free contract template right here.
The ongoing and individual agreements
Cooperation agreements can usually be divided into two main groups: The ongoing cooperation agreements and those where a specific task has been agreed to be delivered.
Depending on the type of work you have to do, it is something you will be able to use in the next freelance agreement you have to make.
But is it even necessary to draw up a contract, because you have already agreed the most important things via email and telephone, and you may already have your standard business terms and conditions that you refer to?
Unfortunately, we have seen many times the freelancer and the customer with quite different perceptions of what was agreed - even if there were several emails back and forth.
Therefore, use the extra time to get it all in writing. You appear far more professional, this leads to more successful projects, and ultimately happy customers.
And when you are clear about what is included and what costs extra from the start, it is also a good opportunity to increase your earnings per customer.
Remember that as a Factofly user you have access to a number of standard contracts that you can use as a starting point, and our lawyer will also be happy to help you read it all through and give you feedback.
1. What must be delivered
As a starting point, you must be able to tick the following points:
- Exact description of what is to be delivered. When you have to make the description, write it so someone who comes in from the street and neither you nor your customer knows exactly what has been agreed and must be delivered.
- Proofreading and when they are located. Have a fixed number set and a price if the customer wants more.
- Get a firm agreement on what happens if you have to carry out work that is outside of the project. Is it for a fixed price, or do you have to give an offer, hourly price, etc.
- Get a clear agreement on whether extra work needs to be approved first, or whether you can just start.
- What happens if you are delayed.
- How and in what format it must be delivered.
- Are transport costs and time spent on transport part of the agreement or must it be paid separately.
Freelance with Factofly
Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own CVR number or registered company. We handle all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.
2. Duration of ongoing agreements
If you have an ongoing agreement with your customer, there are several things you should be aware of:
- How long the contract runs. Fixed end date or continuously until terminated by either you or your customer.
- What is the notice of termination both if it is an ongoing agreement or if there is a fixed end date? Should it then be possible to terminate it before that date?
- A normal notice of termination is 30 days to the first of a month.
- As a freelancer, are you guaranteed a certain number of hours while the contract runs? This means that your customer cannot stop supplying you with work from one day to the next, even if there is perhaps a month's notice of termination.
3. Rights over what you produce
- Who has the rights about what you do. If it is your customer, when do the rights transfer, on delivery, on payment, etc.
- Can what you make be used everywhere or does it have to be paid extra if your customer wants to use it both on their own website and in an advertisement, e.g.
4. Liability & Indemnity
- Remember to decide on compensation. Fortunately, it is very rare that this happens, but you can risk being presented with quite severe compensation claims. Therefore, remember to decide on it in the contract. A good rule of thumb is to limit the compensation to the payment you receive for the work, so that the compensation cannot be greater than that. If you do not remember to limit the compensation, there is in principle no upper limit to how large it can be.
- Remember that your own personal insurances usually do not cover when you do freelance work, so check whether your insurance covers or take out a professional liability/professional injury insurance before starting work.
5. References
- Customers give customers. It is crucial for your future customers that they can see what work you have done before. It gives them both the assurance that there are others who have had a successful collaboration with you, an opportunity to see what type of work you have done before, and whether it is the style they are looking for.
- So remember to have it written into the agreement that you may use them as a reference, show examples of the work you have done, and use their company name and logo for a testimonial.
Points 1 to 4 are need to have, point 5 is a nice to have.
You will stand incredibly strong, and have your back free by having uncovered the above points in your freelance contract.
Prepare the divorce before you enter into the marriage, with an agreement both parties are happy with. If the project goes a little off track, the freelance contract is your most important document to be able to go back and see which agreement you entered into at the time. Get started by downloading our Freelance contract template. And if you are a user of Factofly, you can spar with us before entering into a contract with a customer.
Freelance with Factofly
Use Factofly to invoice and get paid without having your own CVR number or registered company. We handle all the boring stuff, so you can spend your time where it's most fun.
Frequently asked questions
What is a freelance contract?
A freelance contract is a legal agreement between your client and you as a freelancer. In this type of contract, the terms of the project are defined, including the payment plan, expectations for the work, the duration of the agreement and rights. A good freelance contract outlines all rights and responsibilities that each party has, and it is important to have such a contract in place before starting your project.
At Factofly, we also have a lawyer who can help you review your freelance contract and give you feedback.
What should a contract look like?
In short, you must ensure that you have the following in place in your freelance contract:
- What work you as a freelancer must deliver to your client
- Duration of the agreement - is there a fixed end date or is it ongoing work. And what is notice of termination?
- Rights over the work – does the customer have the rights over the product you produce, and if so, when do the rights pass to the customer?
- Liability and compensation, so you don't risk having to face an unmanageable compensation claim if the accident happens
- References – Can you use the customer as a reference? This point is nice to have but nonetheless quite valuable to your freelance business.
