A plain English guide to every clause a virtual assistant contract needs, from scope and payment terms to notice periods, with sample wording.
A contract is not a sign that you distrust a client. It is the document that lets you both relax. When the scope, the money and the exit are written down, nobody has to guess, and you never have to argue from memory.
You do not need a lawyer to draft your first one, and you do not need ten pages. You need a short, plain document that covers the same ground every time. Here is what belongs in it, section by section, with the wording you can adapt.
The parties and the dates
Full legal names, not brand names. Your business name and the client's registered company name, plus addresses and the start date. If the work has an end date, put it here. If it rolls month to month, say that instead.
"This agreement begins on 1 September 2026 and continues month to month until either party ends it under clause 9."
The scope of work
This is the section that saves you the most money. List the tasks you will do, and where useful, the volume. "Inbox management" means nothing. "Inbox management for one shared inbox, checked twice each working day" means something.
Then add the line most freelancers leave out: anything not listed here is new work, quoted separately. That one sentence is what turns an awkward conversation into an easy one.
Hours, availability and turnaround
Say how many hours a week or month you are holding for this client, which days you work, and your normal turnaround for a request. If you do not cover weekends, evenings or public holidays, write it down rather than hoping it is obvious.
Fees and how you get paid
Cover four things: the amount, the basis (hourly, per project or a monthly retainer), when you invoice, and how many days the client has to pay. Add what happens if they do not.
"Invoices are due within 14 days. Work pauses on accounts more than 14 days overdue."
If you charge a retainer, say whether unused hours roll over. Most people say they do not, and that is fine, as long as it is written.
Expenses and software
Who pays for the scheduling tool, the stock images, the courier. The usual answer is that the client covers anything bought on their behalf and approved in advance. Say so, and set a threshold above which you ask first.
Confidentiality
Short and mutual. You will keep their business information private, they will keep yours, and that continues after the work ends. If they need something heavier, they will send their own non disclosure agreement.
Who owns the work
Once an invoice is paid, the deliverables belong to the client. Until then, they do not. Keep your own templates, systems and processes out of that transfer, because those are yours and you will reuse them.
Data protection
If you handle personal data for the client, name the fact. You process it on their instructions, only for the agreed purposes, and you keep it secure. Depending on where you or the client sit, a formal data processing agreement may be required, so check your local rules.
Ending the agreement
Notice period on both sides, in writing. Thirty days is standard for a retainer, and you should also add an immediate exit for serious problems such as non payment or abusive behaviour. Then say what happens on the last day: final invoice, handover of files, access removed.
Liability and independent contractor status
Two protective clauses. Cap your liability at something sensible, usually the fees paid in the last one to three months. And state plainly that you are an independent contractor running your own business, responsible for your own taxes, not an employee.
Signatures
Both names, both dates. An electronic signature is fine in most places and takes minutes.
How to actually use this
Build one master document and save it as a template. For each new client you should only be changing the scope, the hours and the fees. Send it with the proposal rather than after the first task, and treat the signature as the start of work.
If a client edits your contract, read every change. Watch for unlimited revisions, exclusivity, payment terms stretched past 30 days, and indemnity clauses that make you responsible for their business decisions. Any of those is worth a conversation.
One last thing. A contract only works if you use it. If you have been taking work on a verbal agreement, the next client is a good place to start. If you are still building the client list, a free profile in the directory is a sensible place to be found while you do.
