Vocations · Professional Development

Read the contract
before the work.

Most freelance disputes come down to a sentence that was never written: how many revisions, when the money arrives, who owns the files if the client walks away. Put each deal through twelve clauses here and know what to ask for before you sign.

Check a contractWhat you get

Your contracts

The worked example is made up: a $2,400 brand kit with half up front and two clauses missing, and an hourly store build with no deposit and Net 45. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Vocations · Professional DevelopmentFree

What you finish with
A record per contract: client, project, pricing, total or estimate, deposit, payment terms, revision rounds, delivery date, twelve clauses found or missing and the changes to ask for. Works out the deposit, the balance and the date you would be paid in full; flags no deposit, long terms, rights before payment, no revision limit, hourly estimates and an unsigned contract.
Who it is for
Freelancers and students taking their first paid design, writing, video, music, coding or tutoring work, and anyone hiring one who wants a fair contract.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per contract. Prints one contract’s review with the changes to ask for, every contract in a table or a blank sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Professional Development space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Enter the deal: price, deposit, terms and date.
  2. Read the draft for each of the twelve clauses.
  3. Mark what is in it and what is missing.
  4. Write the changes to ask for.
  5. Sign only when both sides have, and the deposit is in.

Check a contract

Where the money comes in

Where the money comes in1SignedBoth sides sign; nothingstarts before2DepositPaid before any work, often 25to 50 percent3MilestoneA payment at first concepts onlonger jobs4DeliveryFinal files, with rights heldback5Final invoiceDue on the terms: Net 15, Net306Rights transferThe client owns the work oncepaid in fullWhere the money comes in1SignedBoth sides sign; nothing starts before2DepositPaid before any work, often 25 to 50percent3MilestoneA payment at first concepts on longerjobs4DeliveryFinal files, with rights held back5Final invoiceDue on the terms: Net 15, Net 306Rights transferThe client owns the work once paid infull
A kill fee, often 25 to 50 percent of the remaining fee, pays you for work done if the client cancels partway.

Asking without losing the job

Clients expect a contract to go back and forth once. “I usually include a kill fee and a portfolio line; can we add them?” is a normal sentence. A client who refuses a deposit and a signature is telling you something.

Contractor, not employee

A freelancer sets their own hours, uses their own tools and can take other clients. If a “contract” has you working set hours under close direction, ask whether it should be a job instead; the IRS and the Department of Labor have tests for this.

Sources

  1. Freelancers Union. Contract creator and Freelance Isn’t Free resources (freelancersunion.org).
  2. New York State Department of Labor. Freelance Isn’t Free Act, in effect from August 28, 2024 (dol.ny.gov).
  3. Internal Revenue Service. Independent contractor (self-employed) or employee? (irs.gov).
  4. U.S. Copyright Office. Works made for hire, Circular 30 (copyright.gov).

The worked examples are made up. Contract law and freelance protections vary by state and city. This page helps you read a contract; it is not legal advice and drafts nothing for you. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.