It is a template shown for illustration, not an offer and not a contract.
Contract
THIS IS A TEMPLATE FOR ILLUSTRATION ONLY. It is not an offer, not a contract, and not legally binding. The names and dates below are placeholders so you can see the real structure of how we work together. No pay figures appear in this document at all. Your numbers live in your offer letter, and how each bonus is earned lives in your bonus document.
This page is the wording to read. The blank lines are part of the wording and cannot be written on. You sign on your own signing page, by typing your name into the form at the bottom of that page.
KEY TERMS TO REVIEW
You are paid once a month, on the last day of the month.
- Signed agreements are requested within four (4) business days of when they're sent.
- After four (4) business days, the terms in the agreement may need to be renegotiated.
- Raise any questions or requested changes as early as possible: a negotiation that starts early and takes time is easy to do, one that starts at the last minute is harder to agree to.
These items are the heart of this Agreement. Before signing, the Contractor will schedule a call with the Company to walk through each item below. Signing this Agreement confirms each item was discussed and understood.
1. This Agreement Covers Your Work Only. This Agreement engages the Contractor personally. No other person may open, handle, store, or work on any Company or client document, file, login, or system. That includes anyone the Contractor employs, contracts with, partners with, or supervises in their own business. If the Contractor wants a member of their own team to do any Company or client work, that person is added by an appendix to this Agreement, signed by both parties and naming that person, before they touch anything. Work done by a person who is not named in a signed appendix is a breach of this Agreement.
2. Start Date. Services begin on [Start Date] (the "Start Date"). The Contractor confirms their equipment (laptop meeting the Company's specification, monitor, and reliable internet) is set up and tested before the Start Date.
3. Your Laptop Is Yours. The Contractor provides a laptop that meets the Company's written specification, at their own expense, whether they already own one or buy one. It is and remains their personal property, permanently. There is no reimbursement, the Company never takes ownership of the laptop, and the Company installs no software on it. Because the device is personal, all Company and client work happens exclusively through the Company's VPN and virtual desktop, and no Company or client data is ever stored on the laptop itself.
4. US Availability. The Contractor works the hours set out in the role description attached to this Agreement, which is an amendment to it and has the same force as any term written here. Those hours run on US Central Time and are year round, not seasonal. The role description states the start time, the end time, and what that means in the Contractor's own time zone, including any change between part time and full time. If the Contractor starts part time, they move to full time within three months of the Start Date.
5. No Show Means You Quit. If the Contractor misses their committed availability and does not respond to the Company's communications for twenty-four (24) consecutive hours, without time off scheduled in advance, the Company treats it as their resignation without notice, effective immediately. No further pay is owed beyond what the law requires for services already performed, and unpaid discretionary amounts are forfeited per Key Term 6. If the Contractor comes back after such a no show, the Company alone decides whether to continue the existing Agreement, offer renegotiated terms, or let the resignation stand.
6. Notice Before Leaving. The Contractor will give at least sixty (60) days written notice before ending this Agreement. If the Contractor leaves with less than 60 days written notice, they forfeit any unpaid discretionary amounts, and the Company will owe only what the law requires for services already performed.
7. Tell Us Early. The Company plans careers with its people, not around them. If the Contractor starts having doubts, wants a career change, or expects to move on, they should raise it in writing as early as they can, even 2 years, 1 year, or 6 months ahead. If concerns were raised in writing at least 6 months before formal notice, the Company will work with them on a flexible exit: they may stay the full 60 days or leave sooner if their new opportunity requires it. If concerns were never raised in writing at least 6 months ahead, the Company will hold them to the full 60 days and will have little reason to extend flexibility they did not extend to the Company.
8. This Is Your Only Job. During the term of this Agreement, the Contractor will not take any other employment or contract work, part-time or full-time, in any way, shape, or form, without the Company's prior written consent. The Company is paying for their full professional focus.
9. Quarterly Career Meeting. At least once per quarter, the Contractor schedules a performance and career discussion with their manager using the Company's meeting template. The manager is named in the role description attached to this Agreement. Scheduling it is the Contractor's responsibility, not the manager's. The Company invests in people who invest in themselves, and this meeting is where that happens.
10. Your Pay Is Private. The Contractor does not tell anyone their salary or its terms: not colleagues, not candidates, not former colleagues, not friends, not family. The exceptions are their spouse or romantic partner, their own legal or tax advisors, and where the law requires. Compensation conversations happen with the Company, in the quarterly meetings or in writing, and nowhere else.
11. Transfer Costs Are Yours. Transfer costs vary a great deal from country to country, so the Company does not pay them. What the Company does instead is find a payment route that gives the Contractor a good exchange rate and charges a low transfer cost. The routes that do this best are often, though not always, smaller and less well known than the large, expensive brands.
12. What Your Equipment Has To Be. The Contractor provides, at their own expense, equipment meeting the following. Computer: an Intel Core i5 or AMD Ryzen 5 processor, at least 8GB of RAM with 16GB preferred, running Windows 10, Windows 11, or macOS, with a working webcam and microphone. Every item listed under Computer is a minimum, and equipment that exceeds it satisfies this Section. Screens: anyone doing tax work provides two monitors, because a return is checked against its source documents side by side and one screen makes that slow and error prone. Internet: at least 20 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload, with 50 Mbps or more preferred, on a stable connection, wired where possible, plus a second way online as a backup such as a mobile hotspot, pocket WiFi, or a second provider. Power: a UPS for the modem and router, and a power station or a laptop battery sufficient to keep working through an outage. Audio and workspace: a noise cancelling headset with a microphone clear enough for client calls, in a quiet professional space with enough light for video. The Contractor confirms all of it is in place and tested before the Start Date.
13. Part Time Has An End Date. If the Contractor starts part time, they move to full time within three months of the Start Date. Full time is eight hours a day. The role description attached to this Agreement states the hours for each stage.
THE AGREEMENT
This Contractor Master Service Agreement (the "Agreement") is made this __ day of _, 20, between CFO Accounting LLC, doing business as SMB Numbers (the "Company"), a Virginia Limited Liability Company registered to do business in Texas, having its principal place of business in Austin, Texas and First Last (the "Contractor") with address at __________.
1. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES. Beginning on the Start Date, Contractor will provide the services set out in the role description for their role. The role description is an amendment to this Agreement, attached to it and incorporated into it, and it has the same force as any term written here. The role description states what the Contractor owns and what the Contractor does not own, and it governs the scope of the work. Further detail is provided in the Engagement Terms attached herein, in amendments or supplements to Exhibit A, or in another form of directive, from which Contractor will be able to access payment rate, details, and specifications required for a particular project or services (the "Services").
2. SERVICE LOCATION AND EQUIPMENT. The Services shall be performed remotely from a location selected by the Contractor which is legally available for the conducting of such Services (i.e., Home Office). Contractor will maintain, at their own arrangement: (a) a laptop meeting the Company's written minimum specification; (b) where the Contractor performs tax work, two monitors, so that a return and its source documents are read side by side; (c) a reliable internet connection sufficient for virtual desktop work and video calls; and (d) access to the Company's systems exclusively through the Company's approved VPN and virtual desktop. Contractor shall not store, download, or copy Company or client data onto local devices or personal accounts.
3. SCHEDULE AND AVAILABILITY. The Contractor works the hours set out in the role description, per Key Term 4 (US Availability). The Contractor will meet deadlines and attend meetings as requested by the Company or provided in the Engagement Terms.
4. EXCLUSIVE SERVICES. Throughout the Term of this Agreement, the Contractor will use best efforts and due diligence to perform work outlined in the Engagement Terms. Per Key Term 8, Contractor shall not engage in any other employment or contract work, part-time or full-time, during the Term without the prior written consent of the Company.
5. PAYMENT FOR SERVICES. The Company will pay compensation to the Contractor for the Services at the rate stated in the Contractor's offer letter, denominated in US Dollars (USD) and paid to the Contractor's designated bank account via the Company's chosen payment provider. The Company reserves the right to deduct payment if the Contractor delivers work after the agreed-upon deadline or in a manner inconsistent with the quality and established business standards. Each set of Engagement Terms or directive will be an additional schedule to this Agreement, incorporating all terms and conditions herein.
6. DEVICE OWNERSHIP. As described in Key Term 3, the Contractor purchases and owns their laptop as personal property. No reimbursement is owed, title never transfers to the Company, and the Company installs no software on the Contractor's personal device. Contractor shall perform all Company and client work exclusively through the Company's VPN and virtual desktop per Section 2 and shall not store, download, or copy Company or client data onto the laptop or any personal device or account.
7. TERM/TERMINATION. This Agreement will commence on the Start Date and continue until terminated as provided herein, renewing automatically for successive 90-day periods unless otherwise terminated. The Company may terminate this Agreement at any time for any reason or no reason, with or without cause. The Contractor may terminate this Agreement by giving at least sixty (60) days prior written notice per Key Terms 6 and 7. Abandonment. Per Key Term 5, if the Contractor misses their committed availability and does not respond to the Company's communications for twenty-four (24) consecutive hours, without time off scheduled in advance, the Contractor is deemed to have resigned without notice, effective at the end of that 24-hour period. In that event the Company will owe only verified amounts legally owing for Services already performed, and unpaid discretionary amounts are forfeited per Key Term 6. If the Contractor thereafter seeks to return, the Company may, in its sole discretion, (a) continue this Agreement on its existing terms, (b) offer renegotiated terms, or (c) treat the resignation as final. Upon termination, the Company will pay, within forty-five (45) days, all verified amounts legally owing to Contractor for unpaid Services; discretionary amounts are governed by Key Term 6.
8. PERFORMANCE AND CAREER DISCUSSIONS. Per Key Term 9, Contractor schedules a quarterly performance and career discussion with their manager using the Company's template. Repeated failure to schedule these meetings is a performance issue under this Agreement.
9. NON-DISCLOSURE AND NON-SOLICITATION. Contractor shall not directly or indirectly disclose to any unauthorized third party, other than a representative of the Company, at any time either during the Term of this Agreement or following the termination or expiration thereof, any confidential or proprietary information, whether marked as confidential or not, pertaining to the Company, its owner(s), or its clients, including, without limitation, client tax and financial records, personal information about the owner(s), contractors, employees, clients, or customers; customer lists; contacts; financial data; sales data; supply sources; business opportunities; strategies; programs; plans; logins or passwords; or trade secrets. At no point shall the Contractor use any information gained from this work relationship for any personal benefit or for the benefit of a new employer or business. Contractor agrees that during the Term of this Agreement, and for thirty-six (36) months following termination, Contractor shall not directly or indirectly solicit or attempt to solicit any employees, contractors, clients, customers, suppliers, or partners of the Company. Contractor acknowledges that they will handle US taxpayer data and will follow all Company data-security instructions, including IRS Publication 4557 safeguards as directed by the Company.
10. RELATIONSHIP OF PARTIES. It is understood by the parties that the Contractor is an independent entity with respect to the Company and not an employee of the Company. The Company will not provide fringe benefits, including health insurance benefits, paid vacation, or any other employee benefit, for the benefit of the Contractor, beyond the paid holidays and paid time off stated in Exhibit A.
11. WORK PRODUCT OWNERSHIP. Any works copyrighted, ideas, discoveries, inventions, products, passwords, logins, or other information (collectively, the "Work Product") developed in whole or in part in connection with the Services shall be the exclusive property of the Company. This does not include any work product or process the Contractor developed prior to this Agreement or work not connected with engagements for the Company. The parties agree this shall be deemed a "works made for hire" agreement for copyright purposes as defined in the United States Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. Section 101). Upon request, the Contractor shall sign all documents necessary to confirm the Company's exclusive ownership of the Work Product.
12. WARRANTIES. Contractor warrants (i) the work delivered will not infringe any third-party rights; (ii) the Services will be performed in a professional manner, of high grade, nature, and quality, and shall meet agreed deadlines; (iii) performance of work under this Agreement does not violate any agreement or obligation between Contractor and any third party, including any former employer; and (iv) they will not engage in any conduct that would negatively affect the reputation of the Company or its ability to conduct business.
13. INDEMNITY. Contractor agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company, its officers, directors, owners, agents, and employees from any and all losses, actions, causes of action, demands, costs, liabilities, expenses, and damages (including attorneys' fees) arising out of or in connection with any breach of this Agreement or the warranties provided herein by Contractor.
14. SEVERABILITY. If any provision of this Agreement shall be held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue to be valid and enforceable. If a court finds that any provision would become valid and enforceable by limiting it, then such provision shall be deemed written, construed, and enforced as so limited.
15. GOVERNING LAW. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to conflict of laws principles, and the sole and exclusive venue shall be the state or federal courts in Travis County, Texas (Austin) or, if none is sufficient, then in the county most nearby.
16. ENTIRE AGREEMENT. This Agreement, including the Key Terms to Review and the role description attached as an amendment, contains the entire agreement between the parties and supersedes any prior written or oral agreements with respect to the subject matter hereof.
16A. THE ROLE DESCRIPTION IS AN AMENDMENT. The role description attached to this Agreement is an amendment to it. It has the same force as any term written here, and it governs the scope of the work, the hours, and the reporting line. Where the role description and this Agreement conflict on any of those three, the role description controls. The Company may issue a revised role description in writing, and it takes effect once communicated to the Contractor.
17. AMENDMENT. This Agreement may be amended only in a writing signed by both parties.
NOW, THEREFORE, intending to be bound hereby, the Parties have executed this Agreement.
Electronic Signatures. The parties agree that this Agreement may be executed and delivered by electronic signatures and that such signatures are the same as handwritten signatures for purposes of validity, enforceability, and admissibility.
The Company Company Name: CFO Accounting LLC dba SMB Numbers Signature: ____ Printed Name: [Authorized signatory] Title: Owner Date: ____
The Contractor Signature: ____ Printed Name: First Last First Name for Your @smbnumbers.com Email: ______ Highest Level of Education Completed: ____ Personal Email Address: ____ Date: ______
EXHIBIT A, ENGAGEMENT TERMS (TEMPLATE)
Contractor: First Last Effective: [Start Date]
Services. The services set out in the role description for the Contractor's role, attached to these Engagement Terms and incorporated into it. The role description states what the Contractor owns and what the Contractor does not own.
Compensation. The Contractor is paid base salary plus bonus. The amounts are set in the Contractor's offer letter, which is the only document that names them.
The salary is flat, denominated in US Dollars, and paid in one payment by the last day of each month. Payment may arrive before that date; it is the latest the Company pays, not the exact day. It covers all Services performed under these Engagement Terms and is paid by direct deposit to the account the Contractor gives on the signing page.
Time Records. The Contractor records their time in five (5) minute increments, in real time as the work happens (the same day, not reconstructed later), using the tool the Company designates. This covers all work performed: client work, internal training, and other projects. Entries are not edited, back-filled, or restated after the fact; a missed entry is noted as missed. Time records have no connection to compensation: the salary is flat regardless of time recorded. The Company uses time records solely to measure client and engagement profitability and the productivity of internal training and other projects.
Bonuses. In addition to the base salary, the Contractor may earn bonuses from the start of this engagement. The bonuses, their amounts, and how each one is earned are named only in the Contractor's bonus document, which the Company issues in writing. Any bonus may be raised, lowered, or removed by a later written directive, communicated before it takes effect.
Paid Holidays and Time Off. The Contractor receives ten (10) paid holidays per year, not subject to earning: three (3) fixed national holidays of the country the Contractor lives in, plus seven (7) additional holidays selected by the Contractor in advance for the calendar year. The three fixed days by country are: United States, Independence Day (July 4), Thanksgiving Day (the fourth Thursday in November), and Christmas Day (December 25); India, Republic Day (January 26), Independence Day (August 15), and Gandhi Jayanti (October 2); Poland, Constitution Day (May 3), Independence Day (November 11), and Christmas Day (December 25); Serbia, Statehood Day (February 15), Armistice Day (November 11), and Christmas Day (January 7); North Macedonia, Republic Day (August 2), Independence Day (September 8), and Christmas Day (January 7); Croatia, Statehood Day (May 30), Victory Day (August 5), and Christmas Day (December 25); Bosnia and Herzegovina, Independence Day (March 1), May Day (May 1), and Statehood Day (November 25). If the Contractor lives in a country not named here, the Contractor names three fixed national holidays of that country in advance and the Company confirms them in writing. The Contractor observes the holidays of the country they live in. On top of the holidays, the Contractor earns up to two (2) weeks (ten working days) of paid time off per year, accruing in proportion to time worked, with every workday counted as eight (8) hours for this purpose (time-tracking records are not used for this calculation). Earned time off may be taken once earned, scheduled in advance with the Company. Neither holidays nor earned time off roll over year to year, and neither is paid out on departure.
Compensation Confidentiality. The Contractor shall not disclose their compensation, or any term of it, to any person, including colleagues, candidates, former colleagues, friends, and family, except to their spouse or romantic partner, to their own legal or tax advisors bound by confidentiality, or as required by law. Compensation discussions happen with the Company only.
Payment Information. The Contractor gives their bank details on the signing page rather than in this document, so an account number never sits inside an agreement that is emailed, saved and forwarded. The details must match the bank's records exactly for the transfer to clear.
Availability. Per Key Term 4 of the Agreement: available until 4:00 PM US Central Time year round.
Systems. All work performed through the Company's approved VPN and virtual desktop per Section 2 of the Agreement.
These Engagement Terms incorporate all terms of the Contractor Master Service Agreement between the parties.
The Company
Signed electronically by the authorized signatory, Owner. The date is recorded when the agreement is submitted.
The Contractor
Signed electronically by the contractor, using the first and last name they type on their signing page. The date is recorded when the agreement is submitted.
Reminder: this is a template. Nothing above is an offer of employment or compensation, and no pay figures appear anywhere in it. If you have questions about any term, bring them to your next conversation with us.