The five things to agree before a freelance job starts.
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Most freelance disputes are not about bad faith. They come from a job agreed quickly in a chat, where each side heard something slightly different. Agreeing on five things before you start, in writing, prevents most of them.
1. Scope
Describe what will be delivered as concretely as possible: number of pages, designs, words, revisions, file formats. "A logo" is vague; "three logo concepts, two rounds of revisions, final files in SVG and PNG" is not.
2. Deadline
A delivery date, and any dates you depend on from the client, such as when you will receive their content.
3. Fee
The total fee or the rate, the currency, and whether taxes are included.
4. Payment terms
When you are paid: an upfront share, on delivery, or in milestones. Agree what happens if the project is cancelled halfway.
5. Acceptance criteria
How both of you will know the work is done. This is the item that prevents most disputes, because it turns "I don’t like it" into a concrete checklist.
When the client asks for more
Extra work is normal. Agree on it separately, with its own scope and fee, so the original agreement stays clear.
Doing it with SEAL
SEAL’s Freelance Work template asks for the scope, delivery date, fee and acceptance criteria; the Contractor template adds a unit price and exclusions. The client can approve it on their phone or suggest an edit, and you see both versions side by side until you agree.
See how this works in SEAL
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ between countries; for a specific situation, talk to a lawyer.