c/freelance-contracts

Talked to an old paralegal about my contract language

I was at a coffee shop in Denver last week, bitching to a friend about a client who kept pushing scope. This older lady next to me chimed in. She was a paralegal for 20 years. She read one of my contracts and laughed. Told me my "additional work" clause was basically worthless. Said I needed to spell out exactly what happens if they add more than 3 revisions or ask for new features. She showed me where my language was too vague. Made me feel like an idiot for not seeing it sooner. Now I'm redoing all my templates. Has anyone else had a random stranger totally change how they write their contracts?

That time a client tried to pay me in 'exposure' at a coffee shop in Austin

I met this guy at a Starbucks on South Congress to talk about a website redesign. He spent 20 minutes explaining how his startup was gonna be huge, then slid a napkin over with his offer. It said '50% equity plus exposure on our social media' but zero cash. I just laughed, stood up, and told him my rent doesn't accept exposure. Has anyone else had someone try that in person, not just over email?

Had to choose between a flat rate and hourly contract for a big web dev project back in 2017

I went with the flat rate on a site for a bakery in Austin and ended up putting in 40 extra hours fixing their custom order form, which taught me to always add a scope clause if you're going that route - has anyone else regretted a flat fee deal?

Scammed by a freelance contract template off Etsy last month

Grabbed a $15 contract template from Etsy for my dog grooming side work, thought it looked solid. Turned out it was missing a clause about late payments so I got stuck waiting 3 months for a $600 check. Anyone else had a cheap template backfire on them like this?

PSA: Stop calling late payment fees a dealbreaker in freelance contracts

I keep seeing people on here say you absolutely need a late fee clause or you'll get burned. But I've been running my plumbing crew for 3 years now and I never put late fees in my contracts. Last month a client in Denver paid me 2 weeks late but threw in a $500 bonus because I was chill about it. Has anyone else found that being flexible builds better loyalty than having strict penalties?

Just realized my payment terms were way too loose on a $3,200 project

I used to give net 60 on invoices because I thought it helped win gigs, but after waiting 73 days for a check from a Nashville studio last fall I switched to net 15 with a 2% late fee. Has anyone else tightened their terms and seen clients push back?

Vent: That scope creep contract took 3 months to finish instead of 3 weeks

I took on a writing gig in Austin for a client who kept adding "one more small section" to the scope. The contract said 4 articles for $1200, but by the end I had written 14 plus a bunch of rewrites. I spent like 80 hours chasing payments and renegotiating, which is insane for what should have been a 2 week project. Has anyone else had a contract go sideways from scope creep like this?

Still deciding if I should drop my kill fee or keep it after a client pushed back on it last week

I had a client tell me my 25% kill fee was 'unprofessional' because it showed I didn't trust them to follow through. They said other freelancers they worked with just ate the cost if a project fell through. Now I'm wondering if I'm losing good gigs by being too strict, or if waiving it just invites people to waste my time. Has anyone else had a client critique their contract terms and change what they do?

The 24-hour email trick that saved me from a bad deal

I had a client who kept pushing for faster turnaround times in the contract. They wanted a 48-hour revision window instead of the usual 7 days. I almost agreed until I remembered a tip from a freelancer in Austin. She said to always wait 24 hours before sending a signed contract back. So I sat on it for a day, read the whole thing again, and spotted a clause that gave them unlimited revisions for the same price. I redlined that part and added a cap of 3 revisions per round. Client pushed back but I held firm. Has anyone else used a waiting period to catch hidden terms in their contracts?

Pro tip: that 'get everything in writing' advice saved my butt last month

A senior dev I used to work with drilled it into me. Always get scope changes in an email. I had a client push for 3 extra revisions on a WordPress site. Said it was part of the original deal. I pulled up the email thread with their signed approval. Showed them exactly where the scope ended. They backed off real quick. Has anyone else had a client try to rewrite history like that?

A lawyer friend told me to always include a kill fee in my contracts... he was right

Last spring I was working with a small startup in Austin on a website design. The client seemed great at first, super responsive. But about 3 weeks in they just stopped answering emails and calls. I was already 15 hours deep into the work, maybe $1,200 worth of my time. I had a standard contract but no kill fee clause. So I was stuck with no payment and no way to get it. My lawyer buddy Mark had warned me about this exact situation over coffee at Thunderbird. He said a kill fee protects you when a project dies halfway through. Now I put a 50% kill fee in every contract for design work under $5,000. Has anyone else learned this the hard way or found a good way to word it?

Signed a contract at 2am and regretted it by morning

I was up late finishing a logo mockup for a potential gig and the guy messaged me saying he needed the contract signed 'right now' to lock in the rate. I skimmed it in my dark kitchen at 1:45am with my cat meowing at me and hit sign without reading the payment terms. Turns out it said net 90 days instead of net 15 which I usually ask for. I had to eat ramen for two months waiting on that check and now I set a rule against signing anything after midnight. Anyone else made a dumb late night contract mistake?

Just found out my 'work for hire' clause was a mess

I was going over an old contract from a client in Austin last year and realized my work for hire language was way too vague. It didn't even specify what deliverables counted, so they could have claimed anything I touched on their project. My lawyer buddy pointed out I needed to list exact file types and revision limits in the clause itself. Has anyone else had a client try to stretch a vague contract like that?

Had to pick between a flat rate and hourly for a 3 month web design project

Milestone payment clauses ruined a 3 month project for me last summer

I got into a gig with a client in Portland back in June. We agreed on 50% upfront and 50% at the end. Three months later they said the work wasn't complete because they kept asking for revisions. I had no contract language about what counted as done. Now I always break payments into three stages with clear deliverables listed. Has anyone else had a client stretch out milestones like this to avoid paying the final chunk?

Update: A project in Austin fell apart because we didn't define 'final deliverable' in the contract.

The client argued that 'final deliverable' included ongoing support for a year, which cost me nearly $2000 in lost time and extra work, so now I list every single item and revision round in writing before starting anything.

Unpopular opinion: I ditched the hourly rate for a project fee on my last contract

I had a client in Tampa who wanted a full website redesign, and I had to choose between my usual $75 an hour or a flat $3,500 project fee. I went with the flat fee because the scope was super clear, and it worked out great. I finished faster than I thought, so my effective hourly rate was way better, and the client loved knowing the exact cost upfront. Has anyone else had a good experience switching to project fees for certain jobs?

I used to think a handshake deal was fine for a $2000 illustration job

Last year, a client in Austin ghosted me after I sent the final files. I had nothing in writing, just a few emails. Now I make a simple one page agreement before starting any project, even small ones. It lists the payment, the number of revisions, and who owns the work. Has anyone else switched to a basic contract after getting burned?

Showerthought: I added a 'no llamas' clause to a contract after a weird request

A potential hire in Boise asked if they could pay me in alpaca wool, so I wrote a line saying payment must be in US dollars. It actually worked and we signed the deal. Has anyone else had to get that specific about payment methods?

My mentor told me to never start work without a signed contract, but I did for a 'nice' client

I did a full brand guide for a local bakery before they signed, thinking we had a handshake deal. They ghosted me after I sent the final files, and I'm out $1200. Has anyone else gotten burned by skipping the paperwork with someone who seemed trustworthy?

Shoutout to the lawyer who told me to add a kill fee clause

I used to just roll with whatever the client sent over, but after a project got canceled halfway through last year, I was out almost $2,000. Added a 30% kill fee for canceled work to my standard contract, and it saved me when a big editorial job got axed after I'd already done the research. Anyone else have a specific clause that's saved their bacon?

My accountant told me to always put a kill fee in my writing contracts, and it just saved me $2,500.

A magazine editor ghosted me after I submitted the first draft, but the contract let me invoice for 50% of the total. Has anyone else had a client vanish like that and been glad they had a clause for it?

Overheard a designer at a coffee shop say they never sign a contract without a kill fee clause.

They were telling their friend about a project that got canceled halfway through, and the client refused to pay for the work already done. I always thought a deposit was enough, but now I'm adding a 25% kill fee to my own contracts. How do you guys handle project cancellations in your agreements?

Pro tip: I thought a kill fee was a bad idea until a project got cancelled after 40 hours of work

Now I put a 25% kill fee clause in every contract, and it saved me from a total loss when a client's budget got cut. How do you guys handle project cancellations?

Update: My client's 'simple' contract change turned into a 4-hour legal review

They wanted to add a clause about owning all preliminary sketches, which meant I had to dig through old emails and call my lawyer. Has anyone else had a tiny edit blow up like that?