Read a report that said over half of freelancers don't have a contract for every job

I was looking at a study from a freelance union site yesterday (the Freelancers Union, I think) and it said 57% of us don't use a contract for every piece of work. That blew my mind. I mean, I've been guilty of it for small stuff, like a quick $200 logo for a friend of a friend, but seeing the number that high is scary. It makes me think about all the times I've just gone off an email chain and a handshake. The report said the main reasons were not wanting to seem difficult and jobs coming up too fast to get one written. But after getting burned once on a website project (about $1,500 worth of work that just... vanished), I started using a simple template for everything. Do you guys use a contract every single time, no matter what, or do you have a price or trust cutoff?

4 comments

4 Comments

jake_sullivan2mo ago

My lawyer cousin says a signed email can be a contract, so I just get a "yes" reply now.

evafoster2mo ago

Oh great, now my "sounds good" text is legally binding. I'm in so much trouble.

garcia.cameron2mo ago

Reminds me of the time my buddy tried to back out of a group trip after saying "I'm in" in a text. Total mess. Jake_sullivan's cousin would have a field day with that one lol.

abbyf791d ago

Actually texts can be binding contracts in some states, but it's not as scary as it sounds. A judge would look at stuff like if money changed hands or if the person relied on that promise. Your buddy's friend probably got off easy because a group trip is usually hard to prove real damages. Still not a bad idea to be careful with "yes" texts though. Do you guys have any rules for backing out of plans without drama?