What to include in a service agreement for a small business

What goes in a service agreement?

Seven headings cover almost every small service job. Fill each with the details of this customer and this job, and leave out clauses copied from someone else's business. If a heading doesn't apply (no materials, no access needed), one line saying so is enough.

• Parties: your business name and the customer's, with contact details
• Work: the tasks or deliverables, and what is not included
• Price: the amount, per visit, per hour or per job, and any minimum
• Schedule: start date, visit frequency or delivery date
• Customer's part: access, keys, pets, files, approvals
• Changes: how extra work is requested, priced and approved
• Ending it: notice for skipped visits, notice to stop, what is owed

How do I describe the work so there are no arguments?

List the tasks the way you would check them off on the job. "Kitchen: counters, sink, stovetop, outside of appliances, floor" settles more than "general cleaning". Then list what is excluded, right below. Inside the oven, inside the fridge, windows and laundry are the usual add-ons a house cleaner prices separately.

The same goes for other work. A bookkeeper names the months covered, the accounts reconciled and the report delivered each month, then says catch-up work for earlier months is quoted on its own. A designer names the deliverables, the file formats and how many revision rounds are included. When a new request comes in, both sides can tell at a glance whether it is covered.

What does a filled-in agreement look like?

Recurring cleaning, three bedrooms and two baths: $160 per visit every other Friday, about $4,160 a year. The first visit is a deep clean at $300. Kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms and living areas per the attached checklist; inside the oven and fridge are add-ons. Paid by card the day of each visit.

Customer provides a door code and secures the dog. Skipping a visit needs 48 hours' notice, or the visit is charged. Either side can end the service with 14 days' notice. Prices are reviewed once a year, with 30 days' notice of any change. For reference, Kleen-It's Dallas guide puts a one-time regular clean of the same house at $160–$240 and a deep clean at $260–$370, which is why the first visit is priced on its own.

Do I need a written agreement at all?

Sometimes the law requires one. In California, any home improvement job over $500 in labor and materials needs a written contract. In New York City, freelance work worth $800 or more, counting everything for the same client over 120 days, needs a written contract that states the work, the pay and the payment date.

Where nothing requires it, a written agreement still gets you paid faster and settles disputes before they start. For a one-off job, the accepted quote with your terms printed on it often does the job. For recurring work, a one-page agreement like the example above is worth the ten minutes it takes. Freelancers Union's free contract builder walks through the clauses for freelance work.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Kleen-It Maids: Dallas cleaning price guide · Published 2026-03-31 · Checked 2026-10-15

  Dallas prices for a three-bedroom, two-bath home: one-time and biweekly regular cleaning, deep cleaning and move-out cleaning.

• Contractors State License Board (California): What should I look for in a contract? · Checked 2026-10-15

  Written contract required for home improvement over $500 in labor and materials.

• NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection: Freelance workers' rights · Checked 2026-10-15

  Freelance contracts worth $800 or more in 120 days must be written and state the work, pay and payment date.

• Freelancers Union: Contract Creator · Checked 2026-10-15

  Free contract builder covering deposits, revisions, cancellation, expenses and ownership.