Retainer agreement template
A retainer agreement sets out an ongoing arrangement in which a provider delivers agreed services to a client each month for a monthly fee. The services can be a set number of hours or a fixed scope, and the agreement covers unused hours, fees, the client's responsibilities and how it ends. An agency or consultancy uses one for each retained client.
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What changes each time
14 values. Everything else is your wording, kept exactly.
The parties
- Provider's full legal name
- Client's full legal name
- Company number
- Address
- Start date
The services
- Services in the schedule
- Monthly hours
- Unused hours
Term and notice
- Rolling or minimum term
- Notice period
Fees
- Monthly fee
- Invoice timing
- Annual fee review date
- Payment days
The rules it usually needs
Written in plain English when the template is set up.
- One of several wordings
“Run month to month on notice, or for a minimum term and then month to month.”
The term clause reads as the chosen option.
- One of several wordings
“Provide up to a number of hours each month, or a fixed monthly scope.”
The services clause reads as the chosen option.
- One of several wordings
“Roll unused hours over up to a maximum, or let them expire at the end of each month.”
The unused hours clause reads as the chosen option.
- One of several wordings
“State the monthly fee as plus VAT, or as not subject to VAT because the provider is not VAT registered.”
The VAT wording reads as the chosen option.
- One of several wordings
“Invoice in advance on a set day of each month, or monthly in arrears.”
The invoicing clause reads as the chosen option.
- Only when…
“Include an annual fee review only when it is agreed”
The clause appears, with the review date and notice, and the client's right to end if it does not accept the change.
- One of several wordings
“Describe each party as a company with a registered number, or as an individual with an address.”
Only the chosen description appears for each party.
- Once for each item
“One row for each service in the schedule.”
The schedule gets a row per service with a description and what is included.
Questions people ask
What is a retainer agreement?
An agreement under which a client pays a regular fee for a provider's services over an ongoing period, often monthly.
What happens to unused hours?
You choose. They can roll over up to a limit, or expire at the end of each month. Either way they are not refunded.
Can the fee change?
Only if you include the optional fee review clause, which allows a yearly review with notice to the client.
How long does a retainer last?
You choose between a rolling arrangement, month to month, and a minimum term followed by month to month.
Who owns the work?
The agreement assigns the intellectual property to the client once it has paid for the work.
Use this template
It opens in DocuWeave as a template you can check, change and publish. Nothing is used until you do.