When you require a signature from your client to seal the deal but don't need to send a payment schedule at the moment, Contracts are just the ticket — and if you’re away from your computer, you can easily create, edit, and send Contracts right from your iOS or Android app!
Contracts through HoneyBook are legally binding documents that allow you to specify the nitty gritty service information of your project, and they require your client to review and sign the file — which they can do right through our platform, from any device — before the project can proceed. When you countersign, your client will automatically see that update in the file on their end, and then you're ready to roll!
Want to know what else you can do with the app? Check out the full rundown here.
Need to do this on desktop instead? Check out how to create Contract Templates and send Contracts out to clients from your computer.
iOS and Android: Creating and sending a Contract
1. Tap the plus (+) icon in your Pipeline view, find the Project that requires an Invoice, or create a new Project (remember, Contracts always need to be associated with a Project).
Tap the plus (+) icon: Just select Contract from the menu, then skip to Step 4. You'll be able to select an existing Project to connect the file to, or create a new Project!
Find a Project: search via the search icon at the top of your app's Home screen (Pipeline view), or locate the Project from the Project List in your Pipeline.
Create a Project: learn how here.
2. Once in the Project, tap the New File button.
3. Select Contract.
PLEASE NOTE: You can only attach one HoneyBook file per email.
4. Choose to start with a blank Contract, a Contract you've drafted (but not yet sent), a recently used Contract, or a Contract Template.
5. Adjust any service agreement text as needed. Feel free to take advantage of the text formatting options in the formatting bar at the top — customize to represent your brand!
HoneyBook Tip: HoneyBook Contracts are legally binding, so make sure to clearly include all relevant service information here.
6. Click the Field Options button in the formatting tool bar to add Contract Fields, which automatically pull in Project details such as your client's info, event specifics, relevant dates, and more. Scroll through the list to see available field options, or type to search. You can choose any fields that currently exist in your HoneyBook Project Details.
Field Name will show as placeholder text if no value is assigned in the Project. Tap this field to select an auto-pull field (Project date, client name, etc. — information that will likely already be in the client or Project details when the Contract is sent), or to enter the name of a custom field.
Field Value can be entered for fields that are more static (like your business information), but you'll likely want to leave it blank; this will prompt you or your client to enter specific Project info before sending or signing the file.
You can select whether your client Can Edit (has the option to update), Must Fill (is required to update), or Can't Edit the field.
PLEASE NOTE: If you see any empty fields in red, these are Project fields that you’ve already added to the Contract and that you’ve set as Can't Edit for your clients. Tap the field to fill out any necessary information (or delete the field entirely) in the Field Value field before sending to your client!
7. Contract signature lines will be automatically added to the bottom of the Contract — one for the Project owner (either you, or the teammate that created the Project), and one for the first participant added to the Project. If your Project had multiple participants who need to sign, tap Add Signature and select additional Project participants.
PLEASE NOTE: You can choose to have all Project participants sign, or delete signatures by tapping the trash can icon under the signature line you'd like to remove. A signatory MUST be added as a Project participant in order to sign a Contract.
8. When you're ready, click the View as Client button to preview what your client will see, or just click Attach to proceed.
9. Review, create, or select the email that will send with your file. You can:
Keep the default email text you see, or make a few changes. We'll automatically populate the email Template that's associated with the file type you're sending! And remember, you can always edit the email Templates themselves, so the Template that auto-populates moving forward will always look the way you want it.
Create a new message by tapping the subject line/email body field and deleting the auto-populated text. Then, just enter your own subject line and email text.
Select the Templates menu at the top of the screen to choose from your existing email Templates. This will replace the existing subject line and email text with those of the new Template.
Add additional attachments (non-HoneyBook files) to the email by tapping the paper clip icon in the toolbar and selecting your attachment(s) of choice.
10. Tap Send! HoneyBook will send the email and Contract right to your client.
Once your client signs, you'll be notified via email & within the app itself. Then, you can simply open the Contract file again to add your own signature and make the agreement official. No need to resend the Contract once you sign — your client's version of the file will automatically reflect that update!
PLEASE NOTE: If you've added multiple participants to your Project but you only need to send the Contract to one (or a certain subset of the participants), you can create a related Workspace within your Project to do so! This will need to be done on desktop, however.
Need to resend the Contract, make edits once you've sent the file, or expire the file?
If you need to send the Contract again, or even adjust agreement language after you've already sent the file, don't worry! You can:
Resend the Contract in its original form: tap to open the Contract under the Files tab of the Project, then tap the Resend button.
Edit the file and resend a new version: tap to open the Contract under the Files tab of the Project, then tap the Pencil icon to edit. You can find more info on editing files you've already sent here!
Expire the file: tap to open the Contract under the Files tab of the Project, then tap the 3-dot icon in the top right corner and select Edit Contract Expiration. Select Expire Now.
Creating this Contract on desktop instead? Check out how to create Contract Templates and send Contracts out to clients from your computer.
Want to learn more?
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by clicking the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!