Free templates

Statement of work template

A statement of work for an agency or a consultant in the United States: what you will deliver, by when, for how much, and how a change to any of it is agreed.

A starting point, not legal advice: have a lawyer in your state read it before you use it.

Statement of work

Statement of work no. [number], dated [Date], between [Agency legal name] (the Agency) and [Client legal name] (the Client)[, under the master services agreement between them dated [Date]].

1. Project overview

The Agency will [one sentence: for example, design and build a new website for the Client's retail business].

2. Scope of work

The Agency will [list the work: discovery workshops, design of up to [number] page templates, development, content entry for up to [number] pages, and launch].

3. Deliverables and acceptance

The Agency will deliver [list each deliverable]. The Client will review each deliverable within [five] business days and either accept it or list the changes needed to meet this statement of work. A deliverable not rejected in that time is accepted.

4. Timeline

The work starts on [Start date] and is expected to finish by [End date], with these milestones: [milestone and date]. Dates move by any delay in the Client's responsibilities below.

5. Client responsibilities

The Client will provide [content, brand assets, access to systems, and a single decision-maker] by [Date].

6. Out of scope

The following are not included unless added by a change request: [ongoing maintenance, copywriting, paid media, and third-party license fees].

7. Fees and payment

The fee is $[amount], fixed [or: $[amount] per hour, estimated at [number] hours]. A deposit of $[amount] is due on signing, and the balance is due [on acceptance of the final deliverable / in [number] monthly payments]. Invoices are due within [15] days.

8. Changes

Either party may request a change in writing. The Agency will say what it does to the fee and the timeline, and the change applies once both parties agree to it in writing.

[Agency legal name], by [Name], [Title]

[Client legal name], by [Name], [Title]

About the statement of work

What a statement of work is

The document that turns a proposal into a project both sides have agreed: the scope, the deliverables, the timeline, the fees, and what the client must provide. It often sits under a master services agreement that holds the legal terms, so each new project needs only a new statement of work.

What goes in it

An overview of the project; the scope of the work; each deliverable and how it is accepted; milestones and dates; what the client provides and by when; the assumptions the price rests on; what is out of scope; the fee and when it is paid, including any deposit; and how changes are requested and priced.

The line that saves the most arguments is the one saying what is out of scope.

Signed, with the deposit paid

Send the statement of work for signature with the deposit on it: the client's card is held as they sign and taken when you countersign, straight into your own Stripe account, so the project starts signed and paid.

Send it for signature on ShareSign

  1. 01

    Step 1

    Download the statement of work in Word, fill it in, and upload it.

  2. 02

    Step 2

    Ask for the deposit on it: the amount and what it is for.

  3. 03

    Step 3

    Send it. Your client reads, signs, and pays the deposit in one step, from a link.

  4. 04

    Step 4

    Countersign, and the deposit is taken into your own Stripe account.

Send your statement of work today.