Contract scanner for freelancers

The clauses that cost freelancers money

Most freelance contracts are not malicious. They are a template written for the client's benefit that nobody on their side has thought hard about. Four provisions account for most of the damage.

Uncapped indemnity

An indemnity moves the cost of third-party claims onto you. Whether that is reasonable depends on whether it is mutual, whether it is limited to claims arising from your own negligence, and whether it is capped. A one-sided uncapped indemnity on a small contract puts your exposure far above what you are being paid.

IP that transfers on delivery rather than on payment

If ownership passes when you hand the work over, a client can be using it while your invoice is still outstanding. Tying transfer to payment in full is a one-line change that materially improves your position.

Acceptance at the client's sole discretion

When acceptance rests on subjective satisfaction rather than written criteria, payment can be withheld over taste rather than over whether you met the brief. Objective acceptance criteria and a deadline after which work is deemed accepted both solve this.

A venue you cannot realistically use

A governing-law clause pointing at a court on another continent can make a claim over an unpaid invoice cost more to bring than the invoice is worth. Worth checking before you sign, not after.

The scanner can point you at these. It cannot tell you whether yours is reasonable, because that depends on the exact wording, the rest of the agreement, and the law where you and your client are established.