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Contract red flags

Before you start: 11 quick questions about the client and the contract. For each risky answer, you'll see why it matters and what to do. Help, not legal advice.

The client

1. Do you have their full legal or business name and address?
2. Do you know who approves and pays invoices, and their email?
3. Have they paid you, or people you know, on time before?

The contract

4. When do you get paid?
5. Is there a deposit before you start?
6. What happens if they pay late?
7. When do they own the work?
8. How many rounds of changes are included?
9. What if they cancel halfway?
10. Who pays expenses (software, travel, materials)?
11. How much notice does either side give to end it?

🔒 Nothing leaves this page. Words in [brackets] are yours to fill in. Next step: send the quote.

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How it works

  1. 1

    Answer a few questions

    About the client and the contract they sent.

  2. 2

    See the risks

    Each risky answer says why it matters.

  3. 3

    Get a fairer clause

    Wording you can send back, for each one.

Who it's for

  • Freelancers sent a client's own contract
  • Anyone starting work with a new client
  • People who've been burned by unpaid extra work
  • Anyone without a lawyer on call

Questions

What should I look for in a freelance contract?

Who pays and when, what happens with extra work, who owns the work and when, and how either side can end it.

Is this legal advice?

No. It's a checklist of the things that most often go wrong. For large contracts, speak to a lawyer.

Contract red flags

Protect the whole job