Freelance contracts get signed and then forgotten. Until something goes wrong.
These are the clauses that matter — the ones that determine whether you get paid, who owns the work, and what happens when the project falls apart.
1. Payment terms (not just the due date)
"Net 30" is not a payment term. It is the start of an argument.
Your contract should specify:
- Invoice date triggers the clock (not delivery, not sign-off)
- Late payment interest rate (or state the statutory rate applies)
- What happens if they dispute an invoice (they must pay undisputed portion immediately)
2. Kill fee / cancellation clause
Projects get cancelled. Clients change their minds. Without a kill fee, you walk away with nothing for weeks of work.
Standard structure: 25-50% of remaining contract value if cancelled after work has begun. Higher percentage as project nears completion.
3. IP ownership — when it transfers
Default in UK law: the creator owns the IP. Always. Even if you made it for them.
If you want the client to own it, you must explicitly assign it in writing. If you want to retain it (e.g., for portfolio use), state that too.
Common clause: IP transfers to client upon receipt of full payment. Stops clients using your work before paying.
4. Scope creep protection
"While you are at it..." is how projects double in size for free.
Your contract should define the deliverables specifically, state that changes require a written change request, and give you the right to charge for out-of-scope work.
5. Revision rounds
How many rounds of revisions are included? What counts as a revision versus a new direction?
Without this: unlimited free revisions until the client is happy. Which can be never.
6. Right to pause or terminate
If a client goes silent for 2 weeks mid-project, are you just waiting indefinitely?
Include a clause: if you cannot get responses needed to proceed for X days, you may pause or terminate the project and invoice for work completed.
The templates
A contract that covers all of this: landolio.com/products/contract-template-pack (£9). Three versions: project-based, retainer, and one-page lite.
Which clause has saved you — or which one do you wish you had included?
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