Freelance Web Design Contract Template
A freelance web design contract is the written agreement that sets scope, payment, and ownership between a designer and a client before any work starts. Download the ready-to-fill template below, or read the field-by-field checklist first — it covers what every contract should include and the mistakes that cause disputes later.
Download the Freelance Web Design Contract
A complete, ready-to-fill PDF — 17 clauses, blanks for every detail, and a signature block for both parties. Free, no email, no account. Read it and adapt it before you use it; the cover page explains what it can and cannot do for you.
Need the other party to sign it too? Send it for signature with a full audit trail and a tamper-evident seal on the finished file — they never need an account. See pricing.
This is a template, not legal advice
This document is a general-purpose template provided for information only. It is not legal advice, it does not create a lawyer–client relationship, and nobody has reviewed it against your situation.
Laws differ by country, state and province, and they change. A clause that is standard in one place can be unenforceable — or illegal — in another. Terms that are ordinary between two businesses can be void in a consumer or employment context.
Read every clause before you use it, fill in every blank, and delete anything that does not apply. For anything high-value, unusual, or that you could not afford to lose a dispute over, have a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction review it before it is signed.
What to include in a web design contract
These are the fields and clauses a freelance web design contract needs. Leaving one out doesn’t necessarily void the contract, but each gap is a spot where you and your client can end up disagreeing about what you actually agreed to.
- Client & designer names
- Project scope & deliverables
- Timeline & milestones
- Payment schedule & rate
- Revisions policy
- IP/ownership transfer on final payment
- Kill-fee / termination clause
- Signatures & date
What each clause is for
Client & designer names. Full legal names (or registered business names) for both sides, plus the business entity if either party is incorporated. This is who the contract actually binds.
Project scope & deliverables. List exactly what’s being built — number of pages or templates, whether it includes copywriting, stock imagery, CMS setup, or e-commerce, and what’s explicitly excluded. A vague scope (“a new website”) is the single biggest source of freelance disputes.
Timeline & milestones. A start date, key milestones (wireframes, design mockups, development, launch), and a target completion date. Tie each milestone to a deliverable the client must approve before work continues.
Payment schedule & rate. The total fee or hourly rate, and how it’s split — a common structure is a deposit up front, a payment at a mid-project milestone, and a final payment on delivery. State the currency, due dates, and what happens if a payment is late.
Revisions policy. How many rounds of revisions are included at each stage, and the rate charged for revisions beyond that. Without this, “just one more small change” can consume unpaid hours indefinitely.
IP/ownership transfer on final payment. State clearly that ownership of the final design and code transfers to the client only once final payment clears — not on delivery. This protects the designer if a client stops paying after receiving the files.
Kill-fee / termination clause. What happens if either side ends the project early — notice period, and a kill fee covering work already completed. This protects the designer from a client who cancels mid-project after most of the work is done.
Signatures & date. Both the client and the designer sign and date the contract. An unsigned contract is just a proposal — it isn’t binding until both parties have signed it.
Common mistakes to watch for
- Scope creep via email. If a client asks for “one more page” or “a quick extra feature” over email and it isn’t added to the written scope or invoiced separately, it quietly becomes unpaid work. Route every scope change through a written amendment.
- Transferring ownership too early. Handing over source files or admin access before final payment clears removes your only leverage if the client stops paying. Tie the ownership-transfer clause explicitly to payment, not delivery.
- No milestone approvals. Without a defined approval step at each milestone, a client can claim the whole project is unsatisfactory at the very end instead of flagging issues early, when they’re cheaper to fix.
- Missing a kill fee. Projects get cancelled — budgets change, priorities shift. Without a kill-fee clause, a freelancer who has already done 80% of the work has no contractual right to be paid for it.
Get your contract signed
Fill in the template above and send it to your client for signature with a free Evenseal account — 5 documents a month, no card required. Only need your own copy signed? Self-sign for free with no account at /sign-pdf.
Not legal advice — for large projects or unusual terms, have a local attorney review your contract.