Scope Card / What's not included
Free clause
What's not included in a freelance proposal.
The quote listed deliverables. It did not list the edges. Copy this out-of-scope clause. Put it under the fee so extras have a wall to bounce off.
Steal this
What's included - [Deliverable 1] - [Deliverable 2] - [Deliverable 3] - [N] rounds of revision What's not included - [Photography / stock / illustration] - [Copywriting] - [Extra pages, features, or platforms] - [Training, hosting, or ongoing support] - [Print, social, or ads] The fee covers only what is listed as included. Revisions: [N] rounds. Extra rounds and new work billed at $[rate]/hour. Anything outside this list needs written approval before work starts.
Out of scope clause, freelance
An out-of-scope clause is a short list of what the fee does not cover. It sits next to what's included. Together they are the wall.
It is not a contract lecture. It is a card. One page. Send it with the proposal, not after the extra ask.
Why "not included" beats a long contract
Independent designers, developers, and consultants on fixed-price work lose money at the boundary. A 12-page SOW does not get read. A list of six outs does.
- Name the usual extras for your craft. Photos. Copy. Extra pages. Training.
- Name how extras get billed. An hourly rate is enough.
- Say work on extras starts after written approval. A reply counts.
What to put in the "not included" list
Write the things clients assume. If you would not have taken this fee with that item inside it, it belongs on the out list.
- Design: photography, illustration, print, social templates, extra inner pages.
- Development: third-party integrations, content entry, training, hosting, SEO campaigns.
- Consulting: extra workshops, extra stakeholders, implementation, ongoing retainers.
Be specific. "Misc extras" is not a wall. "Photography and retouching" is.
When to send it
With the proposal. Not after they say "I thought that was included." The card is for before. After the extra ask, you need a change request, not a new list of outs.
Turn the lists into a one-pager.
The clause above is free. The generator fills your names, fee, rounds, and extra rate, then downloads a letter-size PDF with signature lines.