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Freelance proposal template: scope, price and a completed example
A freelance proposal tells the client what they will get, what it costs, when they get it and how to say yes. The example below proposes two website pages for $600: $200 on acceptance and $400 on delivery, one revision round included, extra pages quoted separately. Name the deliverables precisely enough that both sides can tell when the job is done.
What belongs in a freelance project proposal?
Lead with the client's goal and the deliverable you recommend. Then list the included work, the information you need from the client and the handoff they will receive. Put the price beside that scope. Finish with payment terms, a realistic schedule, how changes are agreed and the action that accepts the proposal.
Once the client accepts it, the proposal is usually your contract, so put the commitments in it. In New York City, freelance work worth $800 or more (counting everything for one client over 120 days) must have a written contract that states the work, the pay and the payment date. Freelancers Union's free contract builder covers ownership, revisions and late fees if you want a separate agreement.
What does a completed small-project proposal look like?
Example proposal for a website writer: I will write the About and Services pages for your bookkeeping website so visitors can understand who you help and what to ask you for. The work includes a briefing call, review of your existing copy, page drafts, an agreed revision round and final text ready for your website editor.
You provide your current service list, the facts you want included and one person to approve the copy. I send drafts within five working days of receiving them. Please collect comments in the shared document, so the revision round works from one set of notes.
Fee: $600 for both pages. $200 is due when you accept, which books the start date; $400 is due on delivery of the final text. Not included: website build, logo, photography, extra pages and ongoing updates. If you want another page, I will send its price and timing for approval before starting it. Reply "accepted" to go ahead.
Can I copy a proposal template?
PROPOSAL: [project name] For: [client] From: [your business] Prepared: [date] Goal: [the client's practical outcome] Deliverables: [named files, sessions, pages or other results] Included: [briefing, production, revisions and handoff] Client supplies: [information, access and approval contact] Schedule: [milestones and dependencies] Price: [fee or hourly basis, with currency] Expenses and tax: [what the price includes] Payment: [agreed stages, dates and method] Changes: [how additional work is approved and priced] Ownership and use: [what the client can use and when] Not included: [the likely requests outside this scope] Acceptance: [how to accept and any offer expiry date]
Read the template from the client's side. A deliverable such as monthly report should say which period, what is in the report and how it will be delivered. A revision should mean a change to the agreed work, with a clear boundary around a new direction or an additional deliverable.
How do I keep a proposal short without leaving gaps?
Use a short scope with concrete nouns. Replace complete branding package with the logo files, color references and usage notes the client will receive. Name the approval step that starts the next stage. Put assumptions beside the relevant commitment, such as a delivery date that depends on receiving the client's photos.
If the client's budget is lower, cut scope along with the price: one page at $300 instead of two at $600, or the same two pages without the revision round. A lower fee for the same work teaches the client to negotiate every time. When the proposal is accepted, carry its project name, fee and payment terms straight onto the invoice.
Frequently asked questions
Is a proposal the same as an invoice?
No. The proposal is what the client agrees to; the invoice asks for payment under it. Use the same project name and fee on both, so the $400 final invoice obviously matches the $600 proposal.
Should a proposal include a fixed price or hourly rate?
Fixed when you can name the deliverable and the revision rounds; clients prefer knowing the total. Hourly when the work is open-ended, with a cap or a weekly hours update so the bill never surprises them.
How do I handle work the client adds later?
Describe the added deliverable, its price and any change to timing, then ask the client to approve that change before the work starts. Keep it connected to the original proposal.
Sources
- NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection: Freelance workers' rights · Checked
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
Free contract builder covering deposits, revisions, ownership and late fees.
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