Also called: monthly retainer, ongoing engagement
Retainer agreement: what to check
A retainer is an ongoing engagement: the client pays a recurring fee to reserve your capacity or a set amount of work each period. It is great for cash-flow stability, but the terms decide whether that stability is real or whether the retainer quietly becomes unlimited access at a fixed price.
The clauses that matter most in a retainer are scope (what the fee actually covers), payment timing, and how the engagement ends.
What to check
Scope: hours or deliverables per period
The fee should buy a defined amount: a number of hours, a set of deliverables, or a clear service level. 'Ongoing support as needed' with no cap is how a retainer becomes unlimited work.
See unlimited revisions benchmarks →Billed in advance
Retainers are normally invoiced at the start of each period, for the capacity you are reserving. Paying in arrears means financing the client's month with your time.
See deposit benchmarks →Rollover of unused time
Whether unused hours roll over to the next period, expire, or are simply lost. Expiring hours are common but should be stated plainly, not discovered later.
Notice period to end it
A mutual notice period (often 30 days) so neither side can end the arrangement abruptly, and the current period is paid.
See kill fee benchmarks →Red flags
- Undefined scope: 'as much as the client needs' at a fixed monthly fee.
- Billing in arrears on a significant retainer.
- No notice period, so the client can cancel the day before a new period with no obligation.
- Exclusivity bundled in without extra pay.
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