freelancer agreement

Operator: SKILLS AND BIDS, INC.
Registered address: 2401 NW 19 Street, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33311, USA
Legal contact: legal@skillsandbids.com
Effective date: October 18, 2026
Last updated: October 18, 2026

This Freelancer Agreement (“Freelancer Agreement”) supplements the Skills & Bids Terms of Service and applies when you use Skills & Bids to offer freelance work or services, submit proposals, accept contracts, record time, receive payments, or receive payouts.

If there is a conflict, the accepted project contract or service booking controls the commercial details of that transaction, this Freelancer Agreement controls freelancer-specific responsibilities, and the Terms of Service control general Platform use unless the relevant document expressly states otherwise.

1. Independent business status

Except where an applicable law or a separate written arrangement requires otherwise, you use Skills & Bids as an independent business or self-employed service provider.

You are not an employee, agent, partner, joint venturer, or franchisee of Skills & Bids merely because you use the Platform.

Skills & Bids does not guarantee work, minimum earnings, hours, clients, bookings, exclusivity, benefits, paid leave, insurance, or reimbursement.

The legal classification of a working relationship depends on applicable law and the actual facts, not only on labels in this Agreement.

2. Your business responsibilities

You are responsible for:

• deciding which opportunities to pursue;
• setting or accepting your rates and prices within Platform rules;
• supplying your own tools, equipment, workspace, licenses, insurance, and business resources unless a contract states otherwise;
• performing work professionally and lawfully;
• maintaining required qualifications;
• complying with tax, invoicing, registration, labor, safety, and professional obligations; and
• determining whether you need professional advice for your business.

3. Profile accuracy

Your profile, service listings, proposals, portfolio, credentials, licenses, availability, rates, location, language claims, and work history must be materially accurate.

Do not:

• claim another person’s work as your own;
• fabricate employment, education, reviews, clients, or certifications;
• falsify your location to manipulate discovery;
• misrepresent a license or verification badge; or
• allow another person to perform identity-dependent work under your account without authorization.

4. Proposals and offers

A proposal or quote should accurately describe:

• what you are offering;
• your price or hourly rate;
• material assumptions;
• expected timing;
• what is excluded; and
• any third-party cost or license restriction that could materially affect the client.

Do not submit a low or misleading price solely to secure acceptance and then demand undisclosed mandatory charges.

5. Contract formation

A binding engagement is created when the Platform indicates that an offer, proposal, booking, custom quote, milestone, or contract has been accepted.

You must perform according to the accepted scope and any lawful changes agreed by the parties.

If a client asks for materially different work, you should document the scope, price, timing, or milestone change before performing it.

6. Fixed-price and milestone work

For fixed-price work:

• deliver the agreed scope;
• submit deliverables through the supported workflow where reasonably available;
• identify any known material limitation or dependency;
• respond in good faith to specific revision requests within the agreed scope; and
• do not withhold paid deliverables merely to force unrelated concessions.

A client’s new preference or extra request is not automatically included in the original scope.

7. Hourly work and manual time

When working hourly:

• record only time actually worked on authorized tasks;
• describe time accurately enough for reasonable review;
• use the correct billing period;
• do not duplicate hours;
• do not bill another client for the same exclusive time where that would be dishonest;
• obtain approval for overtime or limit exceptions where required by the contract; and
• submit time before the displayed deadline.

If manual time is permitted, it remains subject to the same honesty and authorization requirements.

Fabricated, inflated, or knowingly inaccurate time may lead to nonpayment, refund, recovery, account restrictions, or other enforcement.

8. Service listings and bookings

A service listing must accurately state:

• what the service includes;
• base price;
• duration where relevant;
• delivery method;
• remote/on-site availability;
• service area or radius;
• material add-ons;
• minimum notice or scheduling rules;
• cancellation terms; and
• professional requirements relevant to the service.

If a service becomes unavailable, update availability promptly.

9. On-site services and safety

For on-site work:

• use the client’s private address only for the transaction;
• respect property and access rules;
• comply with applicable health, safety, licensing, and professional requirements;
• do not bring unauthorized persons to the site;
• stop work if there is an immediate serious safety risk; and
• report serious safety concerns where appropriate.

You remain responsible for assessing ordinary occupational risks associated with your profession.

Skills & Bids is not an emergency service.

10. Licenses, permits, insurance, and regulated work

You must maintain every license, permit, certification, registration, insurance policy, or authorization legally required for your services.

A Platform verification is not a substitute for keeping a credential valid.

If a credential expires, is suspended, is restricted, or no longer covers the work, you must stop representing that you are qualified to perform the regulated service.

11. Payments and payouts

Skills & Bids may use Stripe and Stripe Connect for payment and payout infrastructure.

To receive payouts, you may be required to:

• create or connect a payment-provider account;
• accept the provider’s terms;
• complete identity, business, bank, tax, or compliance verification;
• keep payout information current; and
• satisfy provider risk or eligibility requirements.

Payout timing is not guaranteed and may be affected by:

• settlement timing;
• weekends or bank holidays;
• bank or processor delays;
• verification requirements;
• refunds;
• disputes;
• chargebacks;
• reserves;
• negative balances;
• fraud review;
• sanctions or compliance review; or
• legal requirements.

12. Fees and net amounts

Your net amount may differ from the client-facing contract price because of:

• disclosed Platform fees;
• subscription charges;
• payment-processing or payout fees;
• foreign-exchange costs;
• refunds;
• reversals;
• chargebacks;
• taxes or withholding; or
• other amounts disclosed by the Platform or payment provider.

The Platform will display applicable pricing or fee information where required.

Do not assume that a gross contract amount is the exact amount that will reach your bank account.

13. Refunds, reversals, chargebacks, and negative balances

If a payment associated with your work is lawfully refunded, reversed, disputed, charged back, duplicated, credited in error, or otherwise not finally received, Skills & Bids may, to the extent permitted by law and the applicable payment agreements:

• reverse an unpaid transfer;
• delay a payout;
• offset the amount against future amounts payable to you;
• create or maintain a negative balance;
• request repayment;
• establish a reasonable reserve when supported by transaction risk; or
• take account action for abuse or fraud.

Skills & Bids will not treat a client chargeback as conclusive proof that you breached the contract. The underlying transaction and available evidence may be reviewed separately.

You must cooperate with reasonable requests for evidence relating to a payment dispute.

14. No legal escrow

A Platform payment status such as funded, authorized, pending, transferable, held, or payable does not mean Skills & Bids is operating a regulated escrow account unless the Platform expressly identifies a separately regulated escrow service.

15. Taxes

You are responsible for your own taxes, business registrations, invoices, deductions, insurance, and statutory contributions unless law requires Skills & Bids or a payment provider to withhold, report, or remit an amount.

You must provide accurate tax information when requested.

16. Intellectual property

Unless the accepted contract states a different rule:

16.1 Client-specific deliverables

Upon your receipt of full payment for the applicable deliverable, you assign to the client the intellectual-property rights you own in the final deliverable created specifically for that client under the contract, excluding Freelancer Background Materials.

16.2 Freelancer Background Materials

You retain your pre-existing and independently reusable tools, code, templates, methods, libraries, designs, processes, know-how, inventions, and other background materials.

If Background Materials are embedded in a paid final deliverable, you grant the client the license described in the Client Agreement so the client can fully use the deliverable for its intended purpose.

16.3 Third-party and open-source materials

You must comply with third-party licenses and must not knowingly incorporate material whose license is incompatible with the client’s disclosed intended use without informing the client.

16.4 Portfolio use

You may not publicly display confidential client work merely because you created it.

If the work is not confidential and the contract does not prohibit portfolio use, you may display your contribution only to the extent you have the necessary rights and do not disclose private client information.

17. Confidentiality

You must protect non-public information that a reasonable person would understand to be confidential.

Use client confidential information only for the engagement.

Do not:

• publish credentials or secrets;
• reuse private customer lists;
• disclose unreleased product information;
• upload confidential client data to unrelated tools without authorization; or
• retain confidential information longer than reasonably necessary unless legally required.

This section does not prevent disclosures required by law or protected whistleblowing activity.

18. Subcontracting and assistants

You may not secretly substitute another person for work where the client reasonably selected you based on your identity, license, security clearance, location, or personal qualifications.

If you use a subcontractor or assistant:

• obtain client approval where material;
• remain responsible for the work;
• ensure the person is legally permitted and appropriately qualified;
• protect client information; and
• comply with Platform identity and account rules.

Do not share your login credentials.

19. Communications and professional conduct

Communicate accurately and professionally.

Do not:

• harass a client;
• threaten negative reviews to force payment unrelated to legitimate work;
• send spam;
• misrepresent availability;
• pressure a client to approve inaccurate time; or
• misuse private contact or location information obtained through a transaction.

20. Reviews and reputation

You may receive reviews, ratings, completion metrics, response metrics, or other reputation signals.

Skills & Bids may remove fraudulent or policy-violating reviews, but does not guarantee removal merely because a review is negative.

You may respond using features the Platform provides.

Do not buy reviews or coordinate deceptive ratings.

21. Verification and featured placement

A verification badge reflects completion of a specific verification process and may expire or be removed.

Featured or promoted placement does not guarantee a client response, hire, ranking position, booking, or income.

If featured placement is included in a plan or curated by Skills & Bids, it remains subject to availability, eligibility, policy, and product rules.

22. Client disputes

If a client disputes work:

• preserve relevant messages, files, time records, and delivery evidence;
• respond within the displayed deadline;
• provide factual evidence;
• avoid retaliation; and
• continue to protect client confidential information.

Skills & Bids may facilitate a Platform remedy according to the applicable dispute process.

23. Your relationship with the client

You are responsible for the actual legal relationship created by your work.

If a particular engagement is legally employment rather than independent contracting, the label “freelancer” in Skills & Bids does not override applicable law.

Do not use the Platform to evade mandatory labor or employment protections.

24. Account restrictions and termination

Skills & Bids may restrict freelancer features, visibility, indexing, proposals, service listings, payment functions, or payouts when reasonably necessary for:

• fraud or payment risk;
• unresolved verification;
• expired or false credentials;
• serious safety issues;
• Community Standards violations;
• sanctions or legal obligations; or
• investigation of disputes or abuse.

Restrictions do not eliminate lawful rights to amounts finally earned and payable, but payment may remain subject to valid refunds, reversals, reserves, legal holds, or processor restrictions.

25. Incorporation of other terms

The following form part of this Freelancer Agreement:

• Terms of Service;
• Privacy Policy;
• Cookie Policy;
• Community Standards;
• applicable payment-provider terms; and
• the accepted contract, booking, or order-specific terms.

26. Contact

Freelancer support: support@skillsandbids.com
Payment support: payments@skillsandbids.com
Legal notices: legal@skillsandbids.com