Freelance agreement in Switzerland: Essential points to know
Freelance professionals have become a vital support for businesses that need to handle the extra workload, gain specialised expertise, or meet tight deadlines without expanding their in-house team. For sure, due to urgent demands and project pressures, there might be a temptation to start the cooperation immediately. However, to ensure a smooth working relationship, it’s important to formalise the agreed-upon terms and expectations through a written freelance agreement.
What is the difference between self-employed and freelancing?
Once you start looking for a person to complete a specific task or cooperate with you on a project basis, you may come across self-employed individuals and freelancers. At this point, you shouldn’t be confused.
In fact, freelancers are self-employed professionals who usually handle project-based temporary assignments (for example, creating a logo, conducting research, or translating texts). People who are self-employed but aren’t freelancers often operate as small business owners and might manage a shop, offer long-term consulting expertise, or provide ongoing professional services.
Consequently, if you need to give short-term tasks or specific projects, a freelancer is the right choice. However, self-employed professionals, who aren’t freelancers, are better suited for establishing long-term collaborations and providing continuous services without the need for an employee status.
What is a contract for freelance work?
The beginning of work with any professional requires a clear legal document that specifies the terms of cooperation. For freelancers, these details are formalised within a freelance contract. The document serves as a binding agreement that covers all the essential aspects of the working relationship, including the responsibilities of both parties, payment terms, deadlines, confidentiality requirements, etc.
Please note that after signing, a freelancer contract holds legal validity, and changes to its terms can only be made if both parties agree to modify the contract in writing.
Do you need a contract for freelance work?
Swiss law recognises both written and verbal freelance contracts. However, to ensure clarity and avoid disputes regarding payment terms, deadlines, or the ownership of produced intellectual property, it’s highly recommended to have the terms documented.
Even if the cooperation is short-term and doesn’t require extensive negotiations, it’s better to take some time and prepare a legal document that will properly protect you.
Fortunately, with the help of the online freelance contract from AdminTech, the overall preparation of a document will take you less than 10 minutes. Even if it’s the first time you are hiring a freelancer and aren’t sure what details to include, our dynamic contract engine will guide you through each step, explaining the essential details to fill in.
How to make a contract for freelance work?
Once you use our online contract for freelance work, the only thing left to do is fill in the empty spaces with your details. All the essential terms are already included in the document, so you don’t have to worry about missing any important clauses. Additionally, we encourage you to follow these four tips.
Set rules on subcontracting the work
Oftentimes, freelancers get assignments from multiple clients and then delegate their tasks to other professionals. However, if you require the direct involvement of a specific freelancer, this arrangement may not be suitable for you. In this case, it’s important to state in a contract that the freelancer is prohibited from subcontracting the performance of his or her responsibilities.
Once there is a clear restriction in place, a specialist is required to personally handle all assigned tasks.
Indicate the amount of fees and additional costs
The freelance online contract allows you to include all necessary information regarding payment terms. Apart from the amount itself, you should specify the invoicing frequency, appropriate payment deadlines, and VAT details.
Additionally, if the services of a freelancer might involve ancillary costs, it’s advisable to define them properly by including a description of these costs as well as how they shall be billed.
Specify the transfer and use of intellectual property
During the cooperation, freelance professionals are often likely to create various forms of intellectual property (for example, marketing materials, illustrations, or written content). To avoid any misunderstandings regarding ownership and usage rights, we recommend explicitly specifying who will own the intellectual property upon project completion.
Generally, it’s common practice to outline that all created work belongs exclusively to the principal, while the freelancer may be allowed to use it in a portfolio.
Include a suitable complaint period
Freelancers may not always deliver perfect results on the first attempt. Therefore, it’s recommended to set a period during which you as a client can request revisions, provide additional feedback, or ask for adjustments to ensure the outcome meets all expectations.
While filling in the online contract, make sure that you specify a reasonable timeframe during which you can thoroughly review the work and assess its quality. Once the indicated period expires, the task will be considered completed, so any requests for revisions or adjustments may not be accepted.
Prepare your freelance agreement with a professionally drafted online contract
Each time you start your work with a freelancer, remember to agree on terms not just verbally, but also in writing. Our online contract allows you to easily create a comprehensive agreement that will protect both parties during the cooperation.
An intuitive interface ensures that you can quickly navigate through the process, check the created document in real time, and download a ready-to-sign contract.
