{}
Get 2 months free.

The best freelance consultant contract template collection

When you work with different clients you need a contract in place to safeguard your business. With HoneyBook, draw up professional client agreements quickly and have your clients e-sign them from any device, hassle-free. Whether you design graphics, develop websites, build apps, or write content, our freelance consultant contract template collection is designed to get the legal stuff squared away easily.

No credit card required
contractTemplatePage.consultants.hero.imageAlt

Protect your business with a freelance contract template

Get a legally-binding agreement in place quickly using HoneyBook’s freelance contract templates. Design, write, and share contracts from a single dashboard. And then accept eSignatures to get projects started.

contractTemplatePage.consultants.postHero.imageAlt

Create your own freelance contract template for free

Need a simple contract you can brand with your logo? Use HoneyBook’s free downloadable templates. Pick a freelance contract template, customize it to your brand, and send to your clients for easy signing.

Independent contractor contract sample (PDF) Invoice
Independent contractor contract sample (PDF) Invoice

Independent contractor contract sample (PDF)

Contract your services to businesses and entrepreneurs? With this basic contractor template, you can get the project scope, timeline, pricing, and ownership squared away easily.

General consulting contract sample (PDF) Invoice
General consulting contract sample (PDF) Invoice

General consulting contract sample (PDF)

Offer insight and expertise to help your clients solve problems? Using this consulting contract template, you can clearly define the services you provide, so you never have to worry about conflict or confusion.

Get the right freelance consultant contract template for you

HoneyBook’s contract templates have the customization options, clauses, and fields you need to create modern, professional contracts. Check out just a few of our options, below.

Freelance graphic design contract

Built for every type of graphic design project – from visual brand identity and UI design to marketing campaigns and motion graphic design – this freelance contract template can be tailored to any graphic designer business.

Freelance social media contract

For social media marketers who handle everything from content creation to calendar management, this sample freelance contract includes all the standard fields you need to form an agreement with your clients.

Freelance marketing consultant contract

Designed for digital marketers, product marketers, email marketers, content marketers, and SEM specialists, HoneyBook’s freelance consulting contract template can help you create agreements for projects of all sizes and scopes.

Business consultant contract

From change management and training to business strategy and departmental expertise, this consulting agreement template is designed to help you create contracts for any combination of services.

Freelance copywriter contract

Whether you’re creating content for landing pages, digital ads, or email campaigns, this freelance contract template will help you get the scope, pricing, and timeline of the project laid out easily.

contractTemplatePage.consultants.snag.imageAlt
contractTemplatePage.consultants.snag.imageAlt

HoneyBook: premium contract management software

No matter how many clients you work with at a time, you need to have contracts in place to protect your business.

Using HoneyBook’s freelance contract generator, you can quickly and easily draft freelance consultant contract templates for projects of all scopes and sizes. You can edit pre-written ownership and liability clauses to fit your services, add additional sections to break down the deliverables, and populate the smart fields with your project timeline and cost. Once your agreement is in writing, you can share your contract online via HoneyBook’s client portal and collect e-signatures for faster project kickoff.

If you need to grab a basic freelance consultant contract template, but don’t need the additional contract management support, HoneyBook also offers a consulting contract generator free of charge. With this feature, you can create simple contracts to cover your bases on last-minute projects and create a layer of protection around your business as you build your brand.

As a result, you can spend more time focused on your client projects, and less time stressing about legalese or contract formatting.

HoneyBook for consultants

Want to accept eSignatures?

No credit card required

Why you need a freelance consultant contract template

When you’re working with clients, it’s important to set clear expectations on the scope, timeline, and cost of the project. Not only does it help the project run more smoothly, but it also protects you from client disputes and conflict.

Contracts make it easy to get expectations squared away, as they put the terms and conditions of your collaboration in writing and document the approval of both you and your client. You can return to the contract anytime you need to, to easily resolve any confusion or disagreement with your clients...

The trick is: you need to know what to include in a consultant agreement form. Otherwise, you can end up wasting a lot of time on a document that won’t actually protect your business.

Here are 10 must-haves in every consultant contract template:

  • Both parties’ full legal names
  • Your client’s contact information (i.e. their phone number, email address, and physical address)
  • Scope of the project, including the deliverables, timeline, and services
  • Your pricing, payment terms, and payment due dates
  • Clause securing your ownership rights to your work, either to use in your own marketing campaigns or in your portfolio
  • Your policy for cancellations, including qualifications for refunds
  • Confidentiality or NDA regarding both parties proprietary information
  • Liability indemnification clause
  • Your client’s responsibility to your contractual agreement
  • Space where you and your clients can sign the agreement

Create a freelance consultant agreement in 3 easy steps

Unless you offer freelance legal services, creating a legally binding contract can be stressful and time-consuming. HoneyBook’s contract management features make it easier by helping you draft professional, airtight client agreements in 3 simple steps.

Select a contract template
Select a contract template

Select a contract template

Choose a sample freelance consultant contract template from HoneyBook’s collection.Then, modify the design to fit your brand. Everything from the font and banner image to the logo and background color can be changed to make your contract custom-made.
Add your terms and conditions
Add your terms and conditions

Add your terms and conditions

Edit pre-built clauses and create custom clauses for your payment terms, ownership rights, proprietary information, deliverables, timeline, and cancellation policy. Then, autofill your clients’ information into the smart fields for faster contract drafting.
Share and sign online
Share and sign online

Share and sign online

When you have all your terms and conditions in writing, share it with your clients online. They can e-sign it from HoneyBook’s client portal, and you’ll be notified the moment they do.

4 must-have freelance consultant contract templates

From basic contract templates to NDAs, there are a lot of agreement forms out there for freelance consultants to choose from. This can make it difficult to know what you need to protect your business and your clients. Below we’ve included a shortlist of must-have freelance consultant contract templates to help you know when and how to use each of these contracts.

1

General contract templates, like freelance copywriting and freelance graphic design contract templates, allow you to form a standard agreement with a client for a specific project or set period of time. Since any number of clauses and provisions can be added, general contract templates can be used by nearly any freelancer in any industry.

2

Non-disclosure agreements (NDA) templates are designed to keep proprietary information from being shared in an unauthorized manner. With non-disclosure agreements in place, both you and your clients can freely share business information, as the contract guarantees that no sensitive information can be used or shared. Having an NDA in place is always a smart idea.

3

Retainer contract templates, unlike standard freelance contract templates, are written to form a long-term relationship between you and your clients. Since retainer contracts are built on a monthly budget or set number of deliverables instead of a single project, you don’t have to draft up a new contract every time you start a new deliverable.

4

White-label contract templates are unique. Rather than forming an agreement between you and your client directly, they essentially put you in the position of a subcontractor, where you create content for your client’s clients. Since they are more complicated, though, this means they can also be more confusing to create. Fortunately, with the right legal counsel, you can draft a white-label template to reuse as needed.

How to customize a freelance contract template

While templates come equipped with the foundational elements you need to create a professional client contract, customizing the design elements can elevate your contract to look and feel on-brand.

Here’s how to customize your contract template with HoneyBook.

  • Pick a sample contract from HoneyBook’s freelance marketing contract template collection
  • Pick a sample contract from HoneyBook’s freelance contract template collection
  • Change the banner image to one of your own photos or a branded stock image that reflects your style
  • Adjust the text color to match your primary brand color and use an accent color for your headers to give your contract an extra pop of color
  • Upload your logo into the designated space to give your contract the final touch

Go from freelance contract template Word Docs into sleek client agreements

Free contract templates

Grab a freelance contract template from HoneyBook’s collection that fits your project. Edit the document until it includes all the provisions and clauses you need.

Editable design

Customize the consulting contract example by modifying the design elements from HoneyBook’s dashboard. Upload a branded banner image, add your logo, and adjust the font and background colors to match your personal brand.

Pre-written terms and conditions

Use the built-in liability, indemnification, cancellation, and severability clauses in HoneyBook’s contract templates to simplify contract writing. Add in extra terms and conditions as needed.

Smart fields

Populate each contract template with your client’s information by selecting HoneyBook’s predefined field and clicking your client’s name. Then, fill in specific details like payment amounts and due dates by entering field values into preselected spaces.

E-signatures

Share your contract online and collect electronic signatures from your clients to make contract signing and project kickoff easy.

Go from freelance contract template Word Docs into sleek client agreements
Go from freelance contract template Word Docs into sleek client agreements

Freelance contract FAQs

What should be included in a freelance contract?

How do I write a legal freelance contract?

Why should I not write my own consultant agreement?

How do I start a consulting services business?

What should a freelance consultant charge?

Does an independent consultant get paid before or after?

Do I need a freelance contract?

What if I don't have a freelance consultant contract?

It’s free to try.

We hope you do.

93% of members would recommend HoneyBook to a friend.

No credit card required