Free Simple Services Agreement Template
A streamlined services contract for smaller engagements. Every essential clause included — nothing unnecessary. Plain-English explanations throughout.
For informational purposes only — not legal advice.
Clause risk indicators
Header: Parties and Date
Keep it simple. Full legal names (or business entity names) are sufficient for a short-form agreement. No need for full addresses in a simple services agreement, though adding them doesn't hurt.
1. Services
Watch carefullyPlain English
The acceptance clause ("silence = acceptance") protects you from clients who hold deliverables hostage indefinitely by never formally accepting them. A 7-day review window is standard for simple service engagements.
Watch for
Vague services language like "consulting services as needed" without any deliverable list. Also watch for no acceptance process at all — leaving "completion" up to the client's undefined satisfaction.
2. Fees and Payment
Watch carefullyPlain English
A 50% deposit is appropriate for smaller engagements because projects at this scale typically complete faster — the full deposit + balance cycle should be quick. The 14-day late fee window (rather than 30 days) reflects the shorter project timescales a simple services agreement covers.
Watch for
No deposit required. "Payment due upon Client's satisfaction" with no deadline on when satisfaction must be determined. These create cash flow risk on small engagements where you have the least leverage.
3. Intellectual Property
Watch carefullyPlain English
Even in a short-form agreement, IP needs to be addressed. "Upon full payment" is the key phrase — it gives you real leverage to collect. Without this condition, you could deliver completed work, not get paid, and still have no rights to the deliverable.
Watch for
"All deliverables are the sole property of Client from the date of creation" — no payment condition. This means Client owns the work even if they never pay you.
4. Confidentiality
Worth reviewingPlain English
2 years is shorter than the 3-year standard in larger contracts — appropriate for a short-form agreement covering a smaller engagement. Mutual confidentiality protects you too, since the client agrees not to disclose your rates and methods.
Watch for
One-sided confidentiality that only protects the client. Also watch for a confidentiality clause so broad it prevents you from mentioning the project in your portfolio or as a client reference.
5. Termination
Watch carefullyPlain English
A 7-day notice period is appropriate for a simple, short-duration agreement. The cancellation fee compensates you for the opportunity cost of taking this project over another. The refund obligation for unstarted work if you terminate is fair and protects the client.
Watch for
"Client may cancel at any time with no further obligation" — no cancellation fee, no payment for work in progress. On a small project, this could mean walking away with nothing after delivering most of the work.
6. Independent Contractor
StandardPlain English
This is standard protective language. It establishes the relationship clearly for tax purposes and prevents the client from later claiming you were their employee (which would create payroll tax obligations for both parties).
Watch for
Absence of this clause — especially concerning for any engagement where you might be working regularly with the client over an extended period, which could raise independent contractor classification questions.
7. Limitation of Liability
Worth reviewingPlain English
A liability cap equal to the contract value is appropriate for a simple services agreement. It prevents a $1,500 project from generating $50,000 in consequential damage claims if something goes wrong — which would be wildly disproportionate.
Watch for
No limitation of liability at all, or a limitation that applies only to the Provider but not the Client. Both parties should have the same cap.
8. General
StandardPlain English
Fill in your state. "Entire agreement" means verbal promises made during negotiation aren't binding unless they're in the contract. This is why you should put everything important in writing before signing.
Watch for
A governing law clause that specifies a state with no connection to either party, or that requires all disputes to be resolved through arbitration in a distant location — impractical for a small engagement.
Signature Block
Get signatures before starting work — not after. For small engagements, a DocuSign or HelloSign link takes 2 minutes and eliminates the "I thought we had a deal" ambiguity that leads to non-payment disputes.
Ready to use this template?
Copy the full agreement and fill in the bracketed fields. Or upload a services agreement a client sent you and ClauseCheck will flag every risky clause.
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