A statement of work is the page you can point at when the project grows. It names the work, the work that is not included, the files or sessions the client receives, the dates, the fee, and the rule for a change. Copy the template, replace every bracket, and delete any line that does not apply.
This is a working document, not a contract and not legal advice. Paste it into your proposal or attach it to an agreement your own counsel has already approved.
Copy the template
STATEMENT OF WORK Project: [project name] Client: [client legal name] Consultant: [consultant legal name] Date: [date] Effective: [start date] through [end date] 1. Purpose [One sentence: the outcome the client is buying.] 2. Scope The consultant will: - [activity or deliverable] - [activity or deliverable] - [activity or deliverable] 3. Out of scope The consultant will not: - [exclusion] - [exclusion] Work outside this list starts only after a written change that states the new fee and the new date. 4. Deliverables - [name] — [format] — due [date] - [name] — [format] — due [date] 5. Client responsibilities The client will provide [access, source files, and one decision-maker] and will send feedback within [N] business days of each delivery. A late dependency moves the due dates by the same number of business days. 6. Timeline Kickoff: [date] First draft: [date] Review window: [N] business days Final delivery: [date] 7. Fees Fixed fee: [amount and currency] Hourly, if used instead: [rate] per hour. Estimate: [hours]. Cap: [amount, or "none"]. Expenses: [included, or billed at cost with a cap of amount]. 8. Payment [percent] due on signature. [percent] due on [milestone]. [percent] due on acceptance. Invoices are due in [N] days. Work pauses if an invoice is [N] days past due. 9. Revisions [N] revision rounds are included on each deliverable, if the comments arrive as one list inside the review window. A further round is a change. 10. Changes Either party asks for a change in writing. The consultant replies with the effect on fee and date before the extra work starts. 11. Acceptance A deliverable is accepted when the client confirms it in writing, or when [N] business days pass after delivery with no written list of gaps that are inside this scope. 12. Ending the work Either party may end this statement of work in writing with [N] days' notice. Fees for work already done stay due. Kill fee: [amount or percent, or "none"]. Client signature: ____________________ Date: __________ Consultant signature: ________________ Date: __________
What to write in each block
Purpose is one sentence a stranger could read. “Redesign the pricing page” is a purpose. “Help with marketing” is not, because nobody can tell when it is finished.
Scope is the list you will do. Out of scope is the list you will not do. Write both. A missing exclusion is how a homepage redesign becomes a brand project. If a line is awkward to exclude, it is probably work you should price now or refuse now.
Deliverables name the thing the client can hold: a file, a workshop, a published page. “Support” is not a deliverable until you say how many hours and through which date.
Fees should match the floor from how much to charge as a consultant. A fixed fee below that floor means you are donating the hours the year still requires. Use the rate calculator before you type the number.
Revisions need a count and a window. “Until you are happy” is an open invoice. Two rounds, one consolidated list, ten business days, is a boundary you can keep.
Acceptance is how the project ends. Without it, the last email thread is the scope. A written yes, or a set number of quiet business days, is enough for a small project.
A filled example
Northwind Studio hires a consultant to replace one pricing page. The purpose is a public page where a visitor can pick a plan and pay. Scope is the page structure, the tier copy, and one round of implementation notes for the client’s developer. Out of scope is a new logo, ad campaigns, and a custom billing build. Deliverable is a written page spec, due 18 October 2026. Fixed fee is $4,800, half on signature and half on acceptance. Two revision rounds. Feedback is due in five business days. A quiet ten business days after delivery counts as acceptance. Anything else is a written change.
That example is invented so you can see the density. Your names, dates, and fee will differ.
After the template
The Consultant SOW Generator puts this shape on a page from the fields you type. The consultant proposal and SOW system adds discovery questions, prompts, and a clause bank for scope and margin. Use the free template when you need the document today.
Questions
What is a statement of work?
The page that says what you will do, what you will not do, what the client receives, when it is due, what it costs, and how a change is approved.
Is this statement of work template a contract?
No. Paste it into a proposal or attach it to an agreement you already use. It is not legal advice.