Independent Contractor offer letter template
A contractor engagement letter is not an employment offer. It states a rate, a scope, an end date or a termination notice, who owns the work, and that no benefits apply. Mixing employee language into it is the fastest way to a misclassification problem.
- Sample pay
- $95 per hour
- Type
- Contract
- Work model
- Remote
- Design
- Contractor Engagement
What to include in a independent contractor offer letter
- Rate (hourly, daily or fixed) and the invoicing and payment schedule.
- Scope of work and deliverables, or a reference to a statement of work.
- Term: start, end or renewal, and the notice period for ending it.
- Intellectual property assignment.
- A statement that the contractor is not an employee and receives no benefits, and is responsible for their own taxes.
- Expected hours only as an estimate, never as a requirement.
Questions
- Can I include at-will language?
- No. At-will is employment language. Use a termination-for-convenience clause with notice instead.
- Should I set working hours?
- Setting fixed hours is a factor in misclassification tests. State an estimate of expected effort, not a schedule.
Sending this to a real candidate?
The app sends it as a private link with e-signature, keeps every version on record, routes it for approval and pushes the hire into your HR software.
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