A Copywriter usually reaches for a Deposit Agreement when to lock in a date or slot and protect against last-minute cancellation. This free template does one job well: it confirms a booking and secures an upfront deposit against a future project. It is written for how copywriters actually work — around website copy, a sales page or a batch of articles, the familiar headache of rewrites requested because the brief changed after work began, and getting paid on 50% to reserve the slot and 50% on delivery of the first full draft. Use a Deposit Agreement rather than something looser, because as the full project contract — pair it with a service agreement. Edit any line to fit your rates and terms, then send it for e-signature in a couple of minutes — no account for your client, and it is legally binding under the ESIGN Act and eIDAS.
DEPOSIT AGREEMENT — COPYWRITER
1. PARTIES
This Deposit Agreement ("Agreement") is made on ____________ between ____________ ("Client") and ____________ (the "Provider"), a Copywriter. Together they are the "Parties".
2. PROJECT & DATES
This deposit secures website copy, a sales page or a batch of articles scheduled for ____________. The full scope and any date-specific details are: ____________.
3. DEPOSIT
The Client pays a deposit of $____________ to confirm the booking. For a Copywriter, the norm is 50% to reserve the slot and 50% on delivery of the first full draft.
4. BALANCE
The remaining balance of $____________ is due by ____________. Delivery of finished written copy in the agreed word count and format is made once the balance is cleared.
5. REFUNDS & CANCELLATION
The deposit is non-refundable. If the Client cancels, work delivered to date is invoiced and the kill fee applies if cancelled mid-draft. This protects the Provider against rewrites requested because the brief changed after work began.
6. RESCHEDULING
The Client may reschedule once with ____________ days' notice, subject to availability. Later changes may require a new deposit.
7. GOVERNING LAW
This Agreement is governed by the laws of ____________, and any dispute will be handled in the courts of ____________.
8. WORD COUNT & SCOPE
The fee covers up to ____________ words on the agreed brief. Added pages or a changed brief are quoted separately.
9. REVISION ROUNDS
The fee includes ____________ rounds of revisions on the agreed scope. Extra rounds are billed at $____________ each.
10. BYLINE & PORTFOLIO
Unless agreed otherwise, the Client owns the copy on payment and the writer may reference the project as a sample without revealing confidential details.
11. KILL FEE
If the Client cancels mid-project, a kill fee of ____________% of the total, plus payment for work delivered, is due.
SIGNATURES
Signed by the Parties on the date first written above. Both Parties keep a copy. An electronic signature is legally binding under the ESIGN Act and eIDAS.
Client: ______________________ Date: __________
Provider: ____________________ Date: __________This Deposit Agreement ("Agreement") is made on ____________ between ____________ ("Client") and ____________ (the "Provider"), a Copywriter. Together they are the "Parties".
This deposit secures website copy, a sales page or a batch of articles scheduled for ____________. The full scope and any date-specific details are: ____________.
The Client pays a deposit of $____________ to confirm the booking. For a Copywriter, the norm is 50% to reserve the slot and 50% on delivery of the first full draft.
The remaining balance of $____________ is due by ____________. Delivery of finished written copy in the agreed word count and format is made once the balance is cleared.
The deposit is non-refundable. If the Client cancels, work delivered to date is invoiced and the kill fee applies if cancelled mid-draft. This protects the Provider against rewrites requested because the brief changed after work began.
The Client may reschedule once with ____________ days' notice, subject to availability. Later changes may require a new deposit.
This Agreement is governed by the laws of ____________, and any dispute will be handled in the courts of ____________.
The fee covers up to ____________ words on the agreed brief. Added pages or a changed brief are quoted separately.
The fee includes ____________ rounds of revisions on the agreed scope. Extra rounds are billed at $____________ each.
Unless agreed otherwise, the Client owns the copy on payment and the writer may reference the project as a sample without revealing confidential details.
If the Client cancels mid-project, a kill fee of ____________% of the total, plus payment for work delivered, is due.
Signed by the Parties on the date first written above. Both Parties keep a copy. An electronic signature is legally binding under the ESIGN Act and eIDAS.
A refundable deposit does nothing against rewrites requested because the brief changed after work began. Make it non-refundable so it protects the slot you held.
Set exactly when the balance is due, before a Copywriter releases finished written copy in the agreed word count and format.
Say how much notice moving website copy, a sales page or a batch of articles needs, or a client reschedules for free and you lose the date.
To lock in website copy, a sales page or a batch of articles and protect against a late cancellation, since work delivered to date is invoiced and the kill fee applies if cancelled mid-draft.
No — it secures the booking. Pair it with a service agreement that sets out the full finished written copy in the agreed word count and format and scope.
Yes. Once you and your client sign it — including with an electronic signature — this Deposit Agreement is a binding contract under the ESIGN Act, eIDAS and similar laws in most countries.
Point them back to the scope. Extra work such as extra rounds of edits or added pages beyond the quoted word count is quoted separately — that is exactly what the written terms are for.
Yes. Paste it into Signr, drop the signature fields on, and send a link. Your client signs from any device with no account, and you both get a sealed, court-ready copy.
Paste the template into Signr, drop signature fields on, and send. Your client signs from any device, no account needed, and you both get a sealed, court-ready copy.
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