Send contracts for signature

Creating a contract

1. Go to Contracts › New contract and choose a template — Non-Disclosure Agreement, Freelance Services Agreement, IP Assignment Agreement or Retainer Agreement — or start blank. All four are available on every plan.
2. Pick the client (required) and optionally a project.
3. Enter the title (required), effective date and, optionally, an expiry date.
4. Optionally set payment enforcement terms: governing law, late interest rate and interest basis. These are only used if an invoice goes overdue.
5. Edit the agreement — click any paragraph to change it, add blocks or clauses, or delete them. Clauses renumber themselves.
6. Click Save as draft or Send for signature.

Replace the placeholders before you send

Templates contain placeholders such as [CLIENT_NAME], [FREELANCER_NAME], [DATE] and [AMOUNT]. The editor describes these as merged automatically when you send, but they are not replaced — the client and the PDF would show the brackets. Replace every highlighted placeholder with real details before sending.

Signing

• Send to Client emails the client a Review & Sign Contract link and creates a PDF.
• The client reads it in their portal and signs by drawing or typing their name, or declines with an optional reason.
• On signing, the PDF is updated with the signature and the client is emailed a copy. You get an email too, on by default and changeable under Automations.
• Only the client signs — there is no countersigning step for you, and signing does not create an invoice or project.
• A contract cannot be signed after its expiry date.

Frequently asked questions

Can I edit a contract after saving it in Kwill?

No. The agreement text, title and dates are locked once a contract is saved, even as a draft. To fix a draft, delete it and create it again. Signed contracts cannot be changed or deleted at all, and contracts have no version history.

Are contracts signed in Kwill legally binding?

Clients sign by drawing or typing their name in your portal, and the signature is written into the contract PDF, which both parties receive by email. Kwill does not provide legal advice — check the requirements that apply in your jurisdiction.

What contract templates does Kwill include?

Four, available on every plan: a Non-Disclosure Agreement, a Freelance Services Agreement, an IP Assignment Agreement and a Retainer Agreement. You can also start from a blank template.

Why does my contract show [CLIENT_NAME] in brackets?

Those are template placeholders, and Kwill does not fill them in automatically despite what the editor says. Replace each highlighted placeholder with the real details before sending, or the client and the PDF will show the brackets.

Do I have to countersign a contract in Kwill?

No. Only the client signs; there is no countersigning step. You are emailed when they sign, and the signed PDF is available from the contract page.