Adding a contract to a smart file allows you to book a client and get the electronic signatures you need exactly when you need them, while also offering the opportunity to build the experience out further with an invoice, questions for clients, and more. However you choose to build your smart file, the end result is a seamless experience for your clients and a contract that matches the look and feel of your other branded materials.
Contracts are legally binding documents that help define the crucial details of your project's services. Clients can review and sign directly through HoneyBook, from any device.
Build a contract
On the web
Add to an existing page
While building a smart file, select the page you want to add the contract to
Select
Add a block (plus icon) > Contract > + Start from blank to add a new contract block, or an existing template to pull in its contractEdit and format the contract as necessary
Add to a new page
Select
Manage your pages (pages icon) at the top of the builderSelect + Add page > + Start from blank > Contract to add a blank page, or an existing template to pull in its contract
If you selected + Start from blank > Contract, select
Add a block (plus icon) > Contract, or + Start from blank again to add a contract block
Edit and format the contract as necessary
If your smart file includes an invoice, you can also add a payments recap or services recap to your contract. Select the contract block to open the sidebar > Add next to the recap you'd like to add.
In the mobile app
From the navigation menu, select Projects
Find the project you'll create a contract for (or create a new project) — use the pipeline stages or
Search (magnifying glass icon) to look for existing projectsOnce you're in the project workspace, select Create file > a template, recent file, or + Start from blank smart file
Select
Add a block > Contract > + Start from blank Contract to add a new contract block, or an existing template to pull in its contractSelect the contract block to make any changes to the service agreement
To add a smart field, payments recap, or services recap, select exactly where in the contract block you want these to go
If there are any red empty fields, that means those project fields have already been added to the contract and set as non-editable for your clients — you'll need to fill them out before sharing the file
At the bottom of the contract, select the signature block to change the assignees
To add more signatures, select + Add signature
By default, the creator of the project and the first participant of the project are selected, but you can change these
When you're done, select Share > the method you’d like to share the smart file
If you choose to email the smart file, fill in the email details, then select Send
Once your client signs, you'll be notified by email and within the mobile app itself
📚 Tip
You can sign the contract as soon as it's sent — no need to resend once you sign. Your client's version of the file will automatically reflect the update.
Use smart fields in your contract
Rather than manually typing in project- or client-specific details over and over (which can lead to information falling through the cracks), use smart fields in your contracts. You can set smart fields up to:
Automatically pull information from project details fields, such as relevant dates, locations, client contact information, and more
Automatically pull in answers from questions you ask in your smart file at some point before the contract
Automatically pull in session-related details, such as the meeting date, time, location, and name
Request (or require) clients to fill out fields before they're able to sign
Remind you to fill out certain client or project information before sending
📚 Tip
Need your client to enter their initials by specific clauses in your contract? You can use smart fields for this too.
Add a smart field to a contract on the web
While building a smart file, select the contract block you want to add a smart field to, or create a new one
Select where you want the smart field to go — either place your cursor at that spot, or highlight existing text you want to convert
Select
More options (vertical ellipsis icon) > Add fieldAlternatively in the sidebar, select Add by “Field”
In the sidebar, select Smart field, then choose the field source
If a project has more than one date, each date gets its own numbered set of fields — Project date 1, Project date 2, and so on — with a title, start date, end date, start time, end time, and location for each. For example, on a project with an engagement session and wedding day, you'd choose between fields like Project date 1 start date and Project date 2 start date depending on which event the clause refers to.
Check if you want it to be a Required field and Read only
If you’d like, enter placeholder text
Select Fill manually if you want to instead add an Input field, where you or the client would manually enter content into the contract
📣 Note
Smart field mechanics in contracts are separate from the { and sidebar methods used in text blocks.
Add payments or services recaps
If you've included services or an invoice in a smart file that also contains a contract, you can pull information dynamically from those blocks into the body of the contract.
From the contract page of the smart file, select the contract block to open the sidebar. Select Add by “Payments recap” to insert the payment schedule (pulled from the invoice), or Add by “Services recap” to insert the client's service selections.
Add and edit signature lines
Find the signature lines
While building a smart file, scroll to the bottom of the contract block
If you're building a contract in a template, you won't see the option to add signature lines yet — since it's just a template, HoneyBook doesn't know who's signing. Once you add the file to a project, signature lines are added automatically.
If you're in a project, you'll see 2 signature lines: one for you (or the creator of the project), and one for the first participant of the project
If you want to:
Edit a signature line:
Select a signature line to open the sidebar, where you can decide if you want to turn on the Signature required toggle
Select any email that's part of the signature line to edit the text that appears there
Add a signature line:
Select the “Assign to” dropdown to decide which participant you'd like to add as a signatory — or select + Add participant to include a new signatory, which also adds that contact as a project participant
There can be only one signature line per email and therefore, per participant. If you're working with a couple who shares an email address but they both need to sign, consider getting a second email address from them.
Remove a signature line:
Select the signature line, then select
Delete (trash icon)You're required to keep at least one participant and one team member as signatories — it's not possible to send a contract with a signature only for your client
📚 Tips
You can sign a contract before sending it to your client, as long as any smart field client permissions are set to Can edit or Can't edit. The only situation where you can't sign before sending is if permissions are set to Must fill.
If you sign the contract after it's been sent, no need to resend — your client's version of the file will automatically reflect that update
Share your contract
Once you've built out the contract and the rest of your smart file, select Share. Learn how to share a smart file.
When a client adds a signature, you'll be notified right away
If you need to make changes to a contract you've already shared, you can edit a smart file after sharing
If your client has already signed the contract, editing and resharing the smart file will automatically invalidate the original signature and prompt your client to sign again
You may be required to alert your client to the changes by email — learn more about when to notify clients and whether they'll need to resign. If you're required to alert your client, complete the process by sending an email.
Still have questions? Feel free to send us a message by selecting the Question Mark icon on any HoneyBook page. Our team is always happy to help!