Free statement of work template

This template is general information, not legal advice, and no lawyer has reviewed it for your situation. If the client sends their own master agreement, read how it treats SOWs before you sign either one.

Clients who hire you more than once often sign one master agreement with the legal terms (payment, ownership, confidentiality, liability) and then a short SOW for each project. The SOW holds what changes from project to project. If you don't have a master agreement yet, send the freelance contract template first, or use it alone for a single project. For the legal side of hiring contractors, see the independent contractor agreement guide.

Copy the template

STATEMENT OF WORK No. [1]

This statement of work ("SOW") is made under the [Master Services Agreement / Freelance Contract] dated [date] between [client legal name] ("Client") and [your legal name or business name] ("Freelancer"). If this SOW and that agreement conflict, [the agreement] controls.

1. PROJECT SUMMARY
[One or two sentences: what the project is and why. Example: Redesign and build the marketing website so the sales team can publish pages without a developer.]

2. DELIVERABLES
a. [Sitemap and wireframes for up to 8 pages]
b. [Visual design for the homepage and 1 inner page template]
c. [Website built in Webflow, connected to Client's domain]
d. [One 60-minute training session, recorded]

3. OUT OF SCOPE
[Copywriting, stock photo licenses, hosting fees, SEO campaigns, maintenance after launch.] Anything not listed in section 2 is out of scope.

4. TIMELINE AND MILESTONES
Start date: [date, once the deposit is paid and section 6 materials arrive].
Milestone 1: [deliverable a], by [date].
Milestone 2: [deliverable b], by [date].
Milestone 3: [deliverables c and d], by [date].
Dates move by the number of days Client takes beyond the review period in section 5.

5. REVIEW AND ACCEPTANCE
Client reviews each milestone within [5] business days and either accepts it in writing or sends one consolidated list of changes. Each deliverable includes [2] rounds of changes. A milestone is accepted when Client approves it in writing or doesn't respond within the review period.

6. CLIENT RESPONSIBILITIES
Client will provide [brand files, page copy, account access] by [date] and name one person who gives feedback and approvals: [name, email].

7. FEES AND PAYMENT
Fixed fee: $[amount]. Payment schedule: [40]% ($[amount]) on signing, [30]% on Milestone 2, [30]% on final acceptance.
[Or, for hourly work: $[rate] per hour, estimated at [X] to [Y] hours, not to exceed [Y] hours without Client's written approval. Freelancer sends a timesheet with each invoice.]
Invoices are due [15] days after they are sent. Late payment terms follow the agreement.

8. EXPENSES
[No expenses are billed.] / [Pre-approved expenses, such as fonts or plugins, are billed at cost with receipts.]

9. CHANGE REQUESTS
Changes to sections 2, 4 or 7 need a written change order signed by both parties, with the new scope, price and dates. Freelancer starts changed work only after the change order is signed.

10. PROJECT CONTACTS
Client: [name, email]. Freelancer: [name, email].

Accepted by:
Client: ____________________  Name, title, date
Freelancer: ________________  Name, date

How to fill in each section

1. Point to the agreement. The first paragraph ties the SOW to your contract, so you don't repeat payment terms, ownership or confidentiality here.
2. List deliverables the client could check off. "Website design" invites arguments; "visual design for the homepage and 1 inner page template" doesn't.
3. Write the out-of-scope list from your last project's surprises. It's the cheapest protection in the document.
4. Tie milestones to dates and to the client's review time. Most late projects are waiting on feedback, and section 4 moves the dates when that happens.
5. Define acceptance. Silence after the review period counts as approval, so a milestone can't stay open forever.
6. Match the payment schedule to the milestones. A deposit on signing and payments on delivery keep you from financing the project.
7. Send scope changes as change orders, not emails. The change order goes through the same signature step as the SOW.

SOW, contract or proposal?

• A proposal sells the project: the problem, your approach, options and price. The client accepts it before any legal terms are signed. Start from the proposal template.
• A contract or master agreement holds the legal terms that apply to every project with that client.
• A statement of work turns an accepted proposal into a commitment under that contract: exact deliverables, dates, acceptance and payment schedule.
• For a small one-off project, one document is enough: the freelance contract template already has a scope section.

Send it for e-signature in SoloWOS

1. Fill in the SOW, export it as a PDF and upload it to E-Signatures.
2. Add the signers, up to 10 per request: usually the client's approver and you.
3. Place signature, name, date or text fields for each signer, and set the order they sign in.
4. Choose how often reminders go out and, if you want, an expiration date. Then send it.
5. Signers open the link and sign without creating an account. When everyone has signed, download the signed PDF with its certificate of completion, audit trail and SHA-256 fingerprints of the original and final files.

Solo includes 15 signature requests a month. If the scope started as a proposal in Proposals, you can request a signature on it from the proposal itself once the client accepts. Bill the deposit and milestones from Invoicing; for hourly SOWs, the freelance timesheet template shows how to attach hours to each invoice.