Freelance Agreement for Software Developer: What to Include (Customizable Template)

Introduction

As a software developer, having a clear Freelance Agreement is essential for navigating multi-phase projects and ensuring smooth approvals and handoffs. It provides you with the structure and protection you need. Customize your Freelance Agreement now to set yourself up for success.

Legal Terms: What Matters Most for Software Developers

IP Ownership

• Ensure IP ownership transfers only after full payment of fees. This protects your work and ensures the client respects its value.
• Specify that clients should not use your work products in AI models. This helps safeguard your creations from unintended uses.
• Define attribution rights. Retain the right to showcase your work in your portfolio while allowing clients to use the output in specified ways.

Revision Limits, Acceptance, and Payment Milestones

• Set clear limits on revisions, such as a maximum number of rounds. This prevents endless iterations and protects your time.
• Establish acceptance criteria. When should the client sign off on the work? Having this upfront avoids confusion later.
• Create a simple payment milestone schedule. Tie payments to specific deliverables to help you manage cash flow effectively.

Scope Creep and Change Orders

• Clearly outline what constitutes a change to the project’s scope. This helps manage expectations and keeps projects on track.
• Provide pricing guidance for additional work. Let clients know how changes will impact costs upfront.
• Add language about how schedule impacts changes. This can help avoid surprises when timelines shift.

Other Helpful Clauses for Software Developers

• **Portfolio Rights:** Always include a clause allowing you to showcase the work in your portfolio, even after the project ends.
• **Confidentiality:** Consider adding a confidentiality clause to protect sensitive information you might encounter during your work.

How Counsel Club Helps

Counsel Club re-imagines legal for startups, freelancers, and creative entrepreneurs. Our platform allows you to search for lawyer-drafted forms for startups, freelancers, content creators, and other creative entrepreneurs. Our platform guides you through modifications, both to the contract and the scope of work. Counsel Club has the most sophisticated drafting tool on the market, and it was designed and developed by lawyers. If you want more help, reach out to a Counsel Club lawyer through our Concierge program. Our legal agent, Amicus, was trained on proprietary legal data to be your best legal assistant. Finally, legal for today, that is fast, protective, and cost effective.

Questions to Ask Amicus

• What are my rights regarding the work I create?
• How do we handle revisions if the client requests changes?
• What should I include in the scope to prevent misunderstandings?

Closing CTA

Ready to create your Freelance Agreement? Pair it with Statements of Work to keep everything clear and organized. Customize your Freelance Agreement now.