Independent Contractor Agreement Generator

When a business hires a freelancer or consultant, a short written agreement prevents most arguments: what work is expected, how much it costs, when it is paid, who owns the result and how either side can leave. This generator drafts that agreement from your answers in about ten numbered clauses, ready to review and sign.

The inputs

Give the client, the contractor and their addresses, a start date and a governing law. Describe the services in the plainest possible terms. Choose how long the agreement lasts: until a set end date, or ongoing until either side ends it. Choose a currency and a fee type: an hourly rate, a fixed fee or a monthly retainer, then the amount and how many days the client has to pay each invoice.

Finish with the terms that vary. Does the client reimburse pre-approved expenses? Who owns the finished work? How many days of notice may end the agreement? May the contractor use subcontractors? Do both sides agree not to hire the other’s staff for 12 months?

What the clauses say

The first clause lists the services, and the second the term. The fees clause states the fee, the invoicing and the payment period, tells the client to report any invoice dispute promptly, and adds expense reimbursement when you switch it on. The independent contractor clause says the contractor is independent: it decides how and when to do the work, supplies its own equipment and is responsible for its own taxes, insurance and benefits. The intellectual property clause works like this: with the first ownership option, the contractor assigns rights in the deliverables to the client on payment in full and keeps its pre-existing tools under a perpetual licence for the client. The other option lets the contractor keep the work and license it to the client.

Later clauses cover confidentiality for three years after the agreement ends, a warranty of reasonable skill and care, termination on notice or for uncured breach, a limit on liability and the governing law. Subcontracting and non-solicitation clauses appear when you turn on their switches.

A worked example

The first sample is an hourly consulting engagement: Mira Patel provides marketing consulting for Harbour Goods Ltd at £85 per hour, starting on 1 December 2026 and continuing until ended. Invoices are payable within 30 days, expenses approved in advance are reimbursed, and either side can end the agreement with 14 days’ notice. Under the intellectual property clause the client owns the deliverables once it has paid. The output runs to about 490 words. The second sample is a fixed-fee project with an end date.

Status is a question of facts

Calling someone a contractor does not make them one. Tax authorities and courts look at control, independence, who provides tools and whether the person works for others. A worker who is told when and how to work, uses the client’s equipment and has no other clients may be an employee whatever the contract says, with consequences for tax and benefits. Use the agreement to record a genuinely independent arrangement, not to disguise an employment one.

Practical tips

Match the fee type to the work: hourly for open-ended help, fixed for a defined deliverable, a retainer for steady access. Put the payment period in days, because “promptly” starts arguments. Decide ownership before work starts, since it is hard to negotiate afterwards, and keep a confidentiality clause even when you also sign an NDA.

Limits

This is a general template, not legal advice. Labour law, tax treatment, intellectual property assignment formalities and unfair terms rules differ by country, and the agreement cannot override them. Have it checked for your jurisdiction, especially for long-term or full-time engagements.

Related tools

• Web Development Contract Generator is the specialised version for building websites with milestones.
• NDA Generator adds a stand-alone confidentiality agreement before sensitive details are shared.
• Invoice Generator produces the invoices that the payment clause refers to.
• Project Proposal Generator sets out scope and price before the contract is signed.