Retainer Agreement Template & Client Onboarding Checklist

This retainer agreement template and client onboarding checklist kit helps you price monthly packages from your real rate, set clear limits and overage, track hours, and onboard every new client the same way.

Who it's for: Freelancers, consultants and one-person agencies in the US who have (or want) monthly retainer clients and want clear prices, limits and onboarding.

The problem it solves: A retainer priced by feel can quietly pay less than your minimum rate, and vague limits turn into unlimited work. This kit prices three packages from your own minimum rate with discounts and rounding, flags any package that pays below it, tracks each client's hours against their package, shows how full your month is, and walks every new client through nine onboarding steps.

What's inside

• Retainer & Onboarding Workbook (EXAMPLE + BLANK, .xlsx)
• Retainer Playbook (PDF)
• Monthly Retainer Agreement template (DOCX + PDF)
• Welcome Packet, Onboarding Questionnaire, Monthly Retainer Report, Onboarding Checklist (DOCX + PDF)
• AI Prompt Pack: 25 prompts (PDF + TXT)
• Start Here guide and license

How it works

1. On My Rate, enter the pay you want, costs, weeks off, hours and billable share; set your hourly rate.
2. Build up to three packages on Retainer Pricer; fix any BELOW MINIMUM flag.
3. Add clients on Retainer Clients and log time on Hours Log; watch NEAR LIMIT and OVER.
4. Check Capacity before taking on more work.
5. Track each new client through the Onboarding Tracker with the welcome packet, questionnaire and checklist.

Good to know

• Every number in the EXAMPLE file belongs to a made-up business; it isn't a market rate or a recommendation.
• Templates aren't legal advice; tax lines are placeholders. Have your own professionals review them.
• The tools help you run your business; they don't guarantee income or results.
• Excel .xlsx workbook, no macros; formulas tested in LibreOffice (Google Sheets and Excel open-tests pending).
• If your work is a licensed profession (for example accounting, legal, financial, engineering or health services), extra licensing, engagement-letter and disclosure rules may apply. These templates don't cover them.

Need a website? Bought any kit from the Archive? You get a $39 credit toward any website package from The Collective if you request it within 60 days of your purchase (one credit per website project). The credit applies only to website services, not to kits or other products. To request it, email ryanviabusiness@gmail.com with your order number.

Refunds: All sales are final. This kit is an instant digital download, so we don't offer refunds once your order is placed. If a file is broken, missing or not as described, email ryanviabusiness@gmail.com with your order number and we'll send you a working replacement file; if we can't provide a working file that matches this description, we'll refund your order. If you bought the same kit twice by mistake, email us within 14 days of the second order and we'll refund the duplicate order. Nothing in this policy limits any rights you have under law that can't be waived.

License: one business; no resale, redistribution or sharing.

Cover images are illustrations created with AI. The people shown are fictional, not customers.