Updated 22 September 2026
Why people skip this — and what it costs
A WhatsApp “ok let’s go” feels like commitment. It is not. When the client is a cousin’s company in Riyadh, or a startup that “doesn’t do paperwork,” you still need a written scope. Without it, revision rounds expand, source files are assumed, and payment dates slide because nothing named them.
“A signed one-pager beats a long argument after the third “small tweak.””
Lock the list, then lock the rounds
Start with deliverables in plain language. “Website” is a trap. “Home, four inner pages, Arabic and English, two design rounds, handoff in Figma” is a job. Write what is out of scope on the same page: paid ads, photography, a native app. When the extra work arrives, you point at the line — you do not re-negotiate your character.
Money, deposit, and stopping work
Name the total, the currency, and when each slice is due. A common pattern that does not require a payment processor: 40–50% to start, remainder on delivery or net-14 after the invoice. Qufy does not collect the money. The clause is so you can pause when the remainder does not arrive — not so the PDF becomes a bank.
Add a kill fee if they can cancel after you have started: a percentage of the unused remainder, or a floor that covers the days already spent. Keep the sentence short. Long penalty essays get deleted in review; one clear line survives.
Files, portfolio, and the pack that matches the job
Say who owns the working files and when they transfer — usually after full payment. If source files are extra, price them. Portfolio rights matter if the client is a consumer brand that hates seeing drafts on Instagram; ask, then write the answer.
Qufy ships packs for general freelance, design, development, writing, photo, video, consulting, retainers, and a short WhatsApp-sized job. Pick the pack that matches the work, then edit the clauses. Arabic and English travel together so a Riyadh client and a Cairo freelancer read the same deal.
Retainers and WhatsApp-sized jobs are not the same pack
A monthly retainer should name hours included, what rolls over (usually nothing), response time, and what happens if they blow the cap. A one-off WhatsApp job should stay short: deliverable, rounds, fee, when files transfer. Using a 12-clause general pack on a 4-hour animation will get you “too much paper” and they will ghost. Using the tiny pack on a six-month product build will get you unlimited scope. Match the instrument to the job, then edit two sentences that are unique to this client.
Signature on a link beats a screenshot of a stamp
Share the contract the same way you share a quote. You see that they opened it. They sign in place. A JPEG of a stamp in the group chat is how versions multiply. If they must print, generate the PDF from the same document after they accept — do not maintain a parallel Word file that silently drops the kill-fee clause.
What to take away
- Write artefacts and a number of rounds. Unlimited tweaks is unpaid employment.
- Name total, currency, deposit, and when you may pause work.
- Pick the pack that matches the job, then edit — do not send a photo pack for a React build.
Questions people ask
Is a Qufy contract legally binding in every country?
It is a working bilingual draft you can share for signature on a link. It is not court-ready for every jurisdiction and it is not a substitute for a lawyer on large jobs, employment of others, or regulated data. Use it so both of you wrote the same deal. Have counsel review it when the risk is high.
How many revision rounds should I put?
Two or three is normal for design and video. Development usually needs a change-request sentence instead of “rounds.” After the last round, extra work is a new quote. Put the number in the clause so you are not negotiating your character later.
What if they refuse paperwork?
A one-page scope is still paper. You can send the link and say you start when it is signed or when the deposit lands. Cousin’s company in Riyadh is not an exception — it is the case that most often explodes on round four.
