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Consulting contract template: free in Word, or sign it online

Reviewed in October 2026

A consulting contract is an agreement where an independent expert gives advice or work to a client for a fee. It sets the project, the rates, who owns the results and how the information stays private. Consultants sign one with every new client.

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Consulting contract example, filled in with sample data
Example filled in with sample data

The full consulting contract

CONSULTING AGREEMENT

This Consulting Agreement (the "Agreement") is made on [date] between [Client name], with address at [address] (the "Client"), and [Consultant name], with address at [address] (the "Consultant").

1. Services

The Consultant will provide the following services: [description of the project, deliverables and milestones] (the "Services"). Additional work requires a written change order signed by both parties.

2. Term

This Agreement starts on [start date] and ends on [end date] or when the Services are completed, whichever comes first.

3. Fees

The Client will pay the Consultant [amount per hour / fixed fee of amount / monthly retainer of amount]. The Consultant will invoice [monthly / at each milestone], with a breakdown of hours or deliverables. Invoices are due within [15] days.

4. Expenses

The Client will reimburse travel and other expenses approved in writing in advance, against receipts.

5. Independent contractor

The Consultant is an independent contractor, not an employee. The Consultant decides how, when and where to perform the Services, uses their own tools and pays their own taxes and insurance. The Consultant may work for other clients.

6. Ownership of work

On full payment, the Client will own the deliverables created specifically for the Client under this Agreement. The Consultant keeps ownership of their pre-existing tools, methods and know-how and grants the Client a non-exclusive license to use them as part of the deliverables.

7. Confidentiality

The Consultant will keep the Client’s non-public information private during this Agreement and for [3] years after it, and use it only to perform the Services.

Under 18 U.S.C. 1833(b), an individual is immune from liability under trade secret law for disclosing a trade secret in confidence to a government official or an attorney solely to report or investigate a suspected violation of law, or in a court filing made under seal.

8. No conflict

The Consultant confirms that this Agreement does not breach any other agreement the Consultant has signed.

9. Liability

The Consultant’s total liability under this Agreement is limited to the fees paid in the [6] months before the claim, except for fraud or willful misconduct.

10. Termination

Either party may end this Agreement with [15] days’ written notice. The Client will pay for Services performed and approved expenses incurred up to the end date.

11. General terms

This Agreement is governed by the laws of [state]. It is the entire agreement between the parties. The parties agree to sign electronically, with the same effect as a handwritten signature.

CLIENT

Signature: ______________________

Name: [full name]

Title: [title]

Date: [date]

CONSULTANT

Signature: ______________________

Name: [full name]

Date: [date]

What the template includes

  • Project, deliverables and milestones
  • Start and end dates
  • Hourly, fixed or retainer fees with invoice terms
  • Approved expenses
  • Independent contractor status in plain words
  • Who owns the deliverables and the consultant’s own tools
  • Confidentiality with the federal whistleblower notice
  • No conflict with other agreements
  • A liability cap
  • Termination with notice and payment for work done

What you fill in

FieldExample
DateOctober 21, 2026
ClientHarmon Retail Group, Inc.
ConsultantMaya Patel
ProjectPricing review of 40 stores and a final report
Fees150 USD per hour, invoiced monthly
TermNovember 1, 2026 to January 31, 2027
Confidentiality after the end3 years
Governing lawState of Illinois

How it gets signed

  1. 1Choose “Use this template”, fill in the fields and read the full consulting contract once more.
  2. 2Send it by WhatsApp or email. The other party opens the link on their phone without an account.
  3. 3They tap the brown bar at the bottom that says “Sign as …” and draw their signature with a finger.
  4. 4Everyone gets the signed PDF with its signature certificate. Anyone can check it at signsolu.com/verificar.

Before signing, each signer agrees to sign electronically. The screen links to the electronic signature disclosure the ESIGN Act asks for.

Your first ten documents are free and need no card.

Make an online signature once and use the PNG on any PDF, contract or email. It is free and needs no account.

What the law says

A consulting contract is a private contract. State contract law decides whether it holds. Courts look for an offer, an acceptance, something of value on each side and terms clear enough to enforce.

The ESIGN Act says a contract cannot be denied legal effect only because it was signed electronically. Most states also follow the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act. Both parties can sign from their phones and keep the signed PDF as the original.

Clause 5 follows what the IRS looks at to tell a contractor from an employee: control over how the work is done, the money side of the job and the type of relationship.

Clause 7 includes the notice the Defend Trade Secrets Act asks for. That act treats consultants as employees for this purpose.

Hourly, fixed fee or retainer

Fee modelFits best whenWrite in clause 3
HourlyThe scope may changeRate, cap of hours and invoice cycle
Fixed feeDeliverables are clearTotal, milestones and payment per milestone
RetainerThe client wants ongoing accessMonthly amount and hours included

Who owns the work

Clients want to own what they pay for. Consultants need to keep the methods they use with every client. Clause 6 splits it. The client owns the deliverables once paid. The consultant keeps their toolkit and licenses it.

If the client needs to own everything, change clause 6 and adjust the fee. That is a business choice, not a legal requirement.

Staying an independent contractor

Calling someone a consultant does not make them one. Set your own hours, use your own equipment and invoice like a business. Work for more than one client when you can.

For longer contractor relationships, the independent contractor agreement adds more detail on taxes and equipment.

Before the first meeting

Send the contract with your proposal. If the client must share data before the contract is ready, sign an NDA first. Both sign from their phones in minutes.

Change orders keep the project on budget

Projects grow. A client asks for one more report or one more store. Clause 1 asks for a written change order for extra work.

A change order can be one page. It names this agreement, describes the new work, and states the fee and the new date. Send it for signature the same way as the contract.

Getting paid as a consultant

Invoice on a fixed day and attach the hours or milestones. Clause 3 gives the client fifteen days to pay. Ask for a deposit on fixed-fee projects before you start.

A worked example

Maya Patel signs with Harmon Retail to review prices in 40 stores at 150 USD an hour. The final report is due on January 31.

In December the client adds ten more stores. Maya sends a change order with the extra hours and a new date. Both sign it from their phones the same afternoon.

Before you sign

Other templates

Frequently asked questions

Is a consulting contract signed online legally binding?

Yes. The ESIGN Act gives an electronic signature the same legal effect as a handwritten one. The signed PDF and its certificate show who signed the consulting contract, when and from which device.

Does my client need a SignSolú account to sign?

No. They open the link on their phone and sign with the brown bar at the bottom of the screen.

Can I download the consulting agreement in Word?

Yes. “Download in Word” gives you the full consulting agreement with no email and no account. You can print it or edit it and sign it here later.

What is the difference between a consulting contract and a service agreement?

A consulting contract centers on advice and expertise. A service agreement centers on repeated operational work. Both can be signed here.

Can the client end the contract early?

Yes, with the notice in clause 10. The client pays for work done up to that day.

Does the consultant need a business entity?

No. A consultant can sign in their own name or through an LLC. Write the entity name in the opening paragraph.

Should a consultant carry insurance?

Many do. Professional liability insurance covers claims about advice. Some clients ask for it before signing.

Can I use this contract for a retainer?

Yes. Write the monthly amount and the hours it includes in clause 3. Extra hours are billed at the rate you set.

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