For virtual assistants

Contracts for virtual assistants

A UK virtual assistant needs a signed freelance or agreement before the first login: the tasks, hours, tools, availability and response times, how fees are billed, how access is granted and handed back, , who owns SOPs and copy, and how personal data in the inbox is handled. CDPA 1988 s.11 makes you first owner; s.90 requires a written, signed . Lex drafts that on one shared link.

Last updated 4 November 2026

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Lex drafts it in Plain English beside the legal wording. Share one link; both sides agree and sign.

Templates virtual assistants use most

Client workFreelancer agreementA freelancer agreement sets the brief, deliverables, rate, rights and payment terms between a freelancer and a client.Read →Client workServices agreement (MSA)A services agreement sets the standing terms for every project with a client, so each new job needs only a short statement of work.Read →Client workRetainer agreementA retainer agreement sets a monthly fee for a set amount of your time or availability, and what happens to unused hours.Read →Client workStatement of workA statement of work sets the scope, deliverables, milestones and fees for one project under a wider services agreement.Read →NDAs & IPMutual NDAA mutual NDA lets two businesses share confidential information both ways before a deal, and says what each side can do with it.Read →Client workConsulting agreementA consulting agreement sets out advice and expertise you provide to a client, billed by the day, the month or the project.Read →HiringIndependent contractor agreementAn independent contractor agreement hires someone to do work as a business of their own, setting the work, pay, ownership and how the arrangement ends.Read →

Which clauses decide a virtual assistant contract?

Five lines decide most VA jobs: the tasks, hours and tools, how the fee is billed, how access is granted and handed back, confidentiality and personal data, and who owns SOPs and copy. Write them in a freelancer agreement or a retainer before the first login. Lex puts them on one paper the client signs from a link.

The clauses that usually decide a UK freelance virtual-assistant job. Assignment of copyright must be in writing, signed — CDPA 1988 s.90. Shared passwords are practice, not a statutory rule.
ClauseWhat it doesTypical VA line
Scope, hours and toolsWhat “done” looks like, on which systems.Named tasks, hours, tools and response times; extras quoted first.
Fees and invoicingHourly, package or monthly retainer.Named hourly rate or retainer; unused hours need a written rule.
Access and securityHow you get in, and how you get out.Password manager or named roles; MFA; revoke and hand back on ending.
Confidentiality and dataWhat stays private, and who is controller.Client facts stay private; inbox work for a company needs Article 28.
IP of materialsWho owns SOPs, templates, graphics and copy. of named uses on full payment; your kit stays yours.

What contract does a virtual assistant need?

Start from a freelancer agreement or a services agreement. There is no virtual-assistant-only template; those two are the closest papers. They fix the tasks, the hours, the fee, who owns the work, and how access is granted. A monthly slot sits on a retainer. Repeat clients often hang a statement of work under the services agreement. Company-to-company contractor support can start from an independent contractor agreement. Ops-heavy work can start from a consulting agreement. If you are sharing unpublished SOPs or client lists before the deal is signed, a mutual NDA sits next to it. Lex drafts from one sentence; the client signs from one link. The longer England & Wales page is What should a UK virtual assistant contract include?.

How should scope, hours, tools and response times be written?

Name the tasks, the hours, the tools and what “done” looks like. “VA support” is not a list. “Inbox and calendar, 10 hours a week, UK hours, replies inside one working day; CRM and bookkeeping in scope; no social posting, no 24/7 cover” is a list. Extra brands, a second time zone and new tools are a change of scope, quoted first. Write availability and a response SLA you can keep. See What goes in a freelance or contractor agreement. Social-heavy work sits next to Contracts for social media managers.

How should contractor status and IR35 be written?

You are an independent contractor, not an employee. Write that you decide how to deliver the agreed tasks. The client sets outcomes and reasonable access rules, not day-to-day methods. No IR35 label decides the tax. From 6 April 2021, public authorities and medium or large clients must give a status determination statement. Small private-sector clients leave that decision with your company. Write autonomy, a genuine substitution right and no promise of further work — then work that way. The longer page is IR35 contract clauses checklist.

How should fees, retainers and late payment work?

Write an hourly rate, a named package, or a monthly retainer. Do not mix them. Unused hours need a written roll-over rule. A deposit of 30–50% on signature is a common shape, not a statutory rate. There is no default UK right to keep a ; both sides have to agree it. For a UK business client, statutory interest on late commercial payment is 8% above Bank of England base rate, plus a fixed recovery sum. See payment terms and Client won't pay a freelance invoice.

How should access, passwords and handover work?

Grant access through a password manager or named business roles — never by sharing a root password in a WhatsApp chat. Write MFA, who holds backup codes, and which systems you may open. On ending, you hand back access and they revoke yours. Do not hold logins hostage for an unpaid invoice; the pause right and the IP line already do that work. See termination and How to end a freelance contract.

How should confidentiality, IP, cancellation and consumer rights work?

Client facts stay private. Write the usual limits: harm, crime, or a court order. If you open an inbox or CRM that identifies people for a client organisation, UK GDPR Article 28 requires a binding processor contract. You own freelance SOPs, templates and copy unless you assign them — CDPA 1988 s.11 and s.90. Write notice, unused hours and any kill fee. For a consumer who bought at a distance, the Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 give 14 days to cancel. An unfair consumer term is not binding — Consumer Rights Act 2015 s.62. Cap liability at the fees. You cannot exclude death or personal injury caused by negligence — Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 s.2. See confidentiality, data protection and NDA for UK freelancers.

Frequently asked questions

What contract does a virtual assistant need?

A freelance or retainer agreement covering tasks, hours, tools, availability and response times, the fee, how access is granted and handed back, confidentiality, who owns SOPs and copy, how personal data is handled, notice and late payment. There is no virtual-assistant-only template; start from the freelancer agreement, the services agreement or the retainer.

Do I own the SOPs and copy until I am paid?

Yes, unless you already assigned copyright in writing, signed. CDPA 1988 s.11 makes you the first owner of freelance copyright. s.90 requires a signed written assignment. Paying an invoice does not move ownership. Write a licence or assignment on full payment.

Should I share account passwords with the client — or they with me?

No. Use a password manager or named business roles. Shared root passwords lock accounts and break MFA. Write who is admin, where 2FA lives, and that access is revoked on ending. The paper should list the systems, not a WhatsApp dump of logins.

Should a VA charge a retainer or an hourly rate?

A retainer buys a named monthly . An hourly rate buys named hours. A project package buys a named list. Do not mix them. Write unused hours, how extras are quoted, a minimum term and a . Thirty days after an initial three months is a common freelance shape, not a statutory rule.

Do consumer clients get 14 days to cancel?

Yes, on a distance or off-premises service contract. The Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013 let a consumer cancel during that period without giving a reason. For a service contract the period ends 14 days after the day the contract is entered into. A company buying in the course of business is not a consumer for those Regulations.

Can my client sign without creating an account?

Yes. You share one link, the client reads the agreement in Plain English, agrees and signs. It is free for them.

Sources

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The legal wording governsLast reviewed 4 November 2026Pending lawyer review