Free Virtual Assistant Contract Template

A freelance contract template built for virtual assistants — with the specific clauses that prevent the disputes most common in your line of work.

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About this template

Virtual assistant contracts have to do something most freelance contracts skip: define the working relationship itself. A VA isn't delivering a discrete creative artifact — they're embedded in the client's operations, often with access to email, calendars, payment platforms, and confidential business information. The contract that holds up names the scope of tasks (and what's explicitly outside it), the working hours and response-time expectations (so 'why didn't you reply at 11pm on a Sunday?' has a written answer), the data and credential-access terms (and what happens to that access when the engagement ends), the retainer-hour structure with a no-rollover policy, and the confidentiality obligations that protect the client's information. Add the termination, kill-fee, and rate-review clauses and the contract becomes the operating manual for a high-trust relationship that often outlasts the original brief. This template covers the clauses freelance virtual assistants actually need.

Key clauses in this contract

These are the sections specific to virtual assistants — the ones that actually come up in disputes.

  • Scope of tasks included and tasks explicitly excluded

  • Working hours and response time expectations

  • Confidentiality and data access terms

  • Retainer rollover policy (unused hours do not carry over)

  • 30-day termination notice

Sample clause wording you can use

Drop these into your own contract and adapt the bracketed values. Each clause is written for virtual assistants specifically — not lifted from a generic SaaS contract.

Scope of services and task categories

The Assistant will perform the following categories of work for the Client: [email management and triage, calendar and scheduling, travel and logistics, light bookkeeping support, basic research and reporting, project tracking and follow-ups, document preparation]. Services do not include: financial decision-making, signing of contracts or commitments on behalf of the Client, payment authorisation above $[X], legal or tax advice, or any task not explicitly agreed in writing. Any task outside the agreed categories will be quoted separately or added as an amendment to this agreement.

Working hours and response times

The Assistant's working hours are [9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday, Assistant's local time zone, excluding public holidays]. Standard response time for messages received during working hours is [4 business hours]. Messages received outside working hours will be addressed at the start of the next working day. Urgent or after-hours work is available as an add-on at the rush rate of [$rate]/hour, agreed in writing in advance.

Retainer hours and overage

The Client purchases [N] hours per calendar month at the retainer rate of [$rate]/hour. Unused hours do not roll over to subsequent months and are not refundable. Hours used beyond the monthly allotment are billed at the Assistant's standard hourly rate of [$rate]/hour (higher than the retainer rate) on a separate overage invoice issued at month-end. The retainer is invoiced on the first of each month and is due within seven (7) days. Work for the month commences on receipt of payment.

Confidentiality and data handling

The Assistant will treat all Client information, customer data, financial information, and business strategies as strictly confidential. The Assistant will not disclose, copy, or use such information for any purpose other than the agreed scope of this engagement. This obligation survives termination of this agreement for [three (3) years]. The Assistant will use secure password management (e.g. 1Password) for any shared credentials, will not store Client credentials in personal email or notes applications, and will comply with reasonable Client requirements regarding data handling.

Credential access and revocation

The Client will grant the Assistant access to the systems and accounts necessary for the agreed scope. The Assistant agrees to use the credentials solely for this engagement, will not share them with any third party, and will surrender or revoke access within 24 hours of the termination of this agreement. The Client retains the right to revoke any access at any time, with or without notice. Access revocation does not affect amounts owing for work already completed.

Termination

Either party may terminate this agreement with thirty (30) days' written notice. On termination, the Assistant will complete in-progress tasks where possible, hand over any open items and relevant documentation, and surrender all Client credentials. Any retainer fees paid for the final month are earned in full if the notice falls within that month; no pro-rata refund is owed for partially-used months. Any overage or outstanding invoices are due immediately on the termination effective date.

Sample wording is informational, not legal advice. For high-value engagements or unusual arrangements, have a contract lawyer review your final template once.

Contract guide for virtual assistants

Define working hours so the relationship survives

VA engagements that don't define working hours end up being effectively 24/7 — and either the VA burns out or the client stops trusting them when they don't reply at 9pm. The contract should state: 'The Assistant's working hours are [9am–5pm, Monday–Friday, in the Assistant's local time zone]. Urgent requests received outside these hours will be addressed at the start of the next working day unless a separate after-hours arrangement (billed at the rush rate) has been agreed in writing.' That clause does the work of a hundred awkward conversations.

Make credential access and revocation explicit

VAs often need access to email accounts, calendars, payment platforms, banking, and confidential customer data. The contract should name what access is being granted and what happens to it on termination: 'The Client will provide the Assistant with the credentials necessary for the agreed scope of work. The Assistant will use the credentials solely for the purpose of the engagement, will not share them, and will revoke or surrender them within 24 hours of the engagement ending. The Client retains the right to revoke access at any time without notice. Both parties acknowledge that immediate access revocation does not affect amounts owing for completed work.' This protects both sides and pre-empts the most fraught moment in any VA engagement: the ending.

State the no-rollover hour policy in writing

Retainer hour rollover is the single most-disputed mechanic in VA contracts. The contract should be unambiguous: 'The Client purchases [N] hours per calendar month at the agreed retainer rate. Unused hours do not roll over to subsequent months and are not refundable. Hours used beyond the monthly allotment are billed at the standard hourly rate (which is higher than the retainer rate) on a separate overage invoice issued at month-end.' Said upfront, this is normal; introduced later, it sounds like a charge.

Disputes this contract is built to prevent

Each scenario below is a real conflict pattern virtual assistants run into. The clauses above are designed to resolve it before it starts.

  • Client expects 24/7 availability — working-hours clause defines when responses happen and what after-hours costs
  • Client tries to roll over 40 unused hours into next month — explicit no-rollover clause closes the door
  • Engagement ends and credential access lingers — credential-revocation clause forces a clean handover
  • Client adds new task categories without paying more — scope-of-services clause requires written amendment
  • Confidential customer data is mishandled — confidentiality clause and data-handling requirements provide the basis for action

What's in this contract

  • Scope of work section
  • Payment terms and deposit
  • Scope of tasks included and tasks explicitly excluded
  • Working hours and response time expectations
  • Confidentiality and data access terms
  • Retainer rollover policy (unused hours do not carry over)
  • 30-day termination notice

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