About this template
Consulting agreement template – Word/PDF for companies under Swedish law. An editable B2B consulting agreement for independent contractors and clients who want to clearly regulate assignments, deliverables, price, F-tax, confidentiality, intellectual property rights, liability, and termination. The modernized 2027 edition includes a Swedish master version, a Swedish user guide, an English reference version, and an English guide, all in DOCX and PDF.
Legal framework verified October 8, 2026.
The template is primarily intended for commercial consulting assignments between business entities (B2B). It is not an employment contract, consumer contract, or a pre-made data processing agreement. The parties must choose options and fill in all open fields before the document is used. Legal validity cannot be guaranteed solely by using a document template.
What is included in the consulting agreement package?
| Consulting Agreement – Swedish master template, DOCX + PDF | 18 contract sections plus Appendix A–C for assignments, compensation, and data protection control. |
| Swedish User Guide, DOCX + PDF | Practical guidance for completion, risk control, and signing. |
| Consulting Services Agreement – English reference, DOCX + PDF | English reference of the corresponding consulting agreement expressly under Swedish law. |
| English User Guide, DOCX + PDF | English completion and risk guide. |
A total of 8 customer files. The Word documents are editable. The PDF versions are searchable A4 files suitable for reading and printing.
What is a consulting agreement?
A consulting agreement or service agreement regulates the independent service that a consultant is to perform for a client and the terms and conditions under which it will be provided. It can cover areas such as business development, project management, marketing, design, programming, administration, or other services. A clear agreement can reduce disputes, but the true nature of the assignment must always be assessed.
18 sections for a more comprehensive consulting assignment
- Contracting parties, application, and the order of precedence of contract appendices.
- Content, scope, and performance of the assignment.
- Schedule, contact persons, and independence.
- The client's involvement and input.
- Key personnel, subcontractors, and F-tax.
- Change orders and additional orders.
- Compensation, invoicing, VAT, and late payment.
- Delivery, acceptance, and rectification of errors.
- Confidentiality and exceptions.
- Intellectual property rights and background materials.
- Personal data and information security.
- Conflicts of interest, integrity, and access.
- Liability, limitation of liability, and insurance.
- Unforeseen obstacles beyond the parties' control.
- Term of agreement, termination, and cancellation.
- The parties' obligations when the assignment ends.
- Notices, Swedish law, and dispute resolution.
- Signatures of authorized representatives.
Appendix A – Assignment description and deliverables
Appendix A is designed to describe what the consultant is actually to do. Fill in the purpose, included and excluded work, deliverables, schedule, approval criteria, the client's involvement, any subcontractors, system security, and who is authorized to order changes.
Tip: do not write just "ongoing consulting work." Specify what is to be delivered, when, and how you will jointly verify that the delivery meets the agreement.
Appendix B – Fees, VAT, and change orders
Choose fixed price, hourly rate, price ceiling, or a combination. Indicate whether the amounts are excluding or including value-added tax and which VAT handling is actually applicable. Specify invoicing intervals, expense reimbursement, time tracking, and when an additional order must be approved.
The Interest Act (1975:635) contains regulations on, among other things, payment terms and default interest. Differing terms between business entities must be correctly agreed upon; there is no single, universally applicable payment term for every situation.
F-tax – verify the actual form of engagement
A clause regarding an "independent consultant" is not sufficient if the relationship in practice resembles employment.
Verify the contractor's approval for F-tax (or potential FA-tax) and who the actual legal contracting party is. The Swedish Tax Agency states that F-tax approval should preferably be stated in the agreement and invoice. If valid F-tax approval is missing, tax deductions and employer contributions may be triggered. Read the Swedish Tax Agency's guidance.
For assignments via self-employment companies, it is important that the agreement is entered into with the correct party before work and invoicing are organized. The title of the agreement alone does not determine whether an employment relationship exists.
Copyright and ownership of the consultant's results
It is important to distinguish between new material created for the client, the consultant's own pre-existing tools, and third-party material. The master template contains a negotiable order where economic rights to identified new deliverables transfer according to the agreement once payment has been made, while certain background tools remain with the consultant but can be licensed for the use of the result.
The Copyright Act (1960:729) contains special rules, including regarding transfer, further transfer, and under certain conditions, the author's remuneration and information. Particularly valuable software, creative material, and licenses may need individually adapted provisions.
GDPR – a standard consulting agreement does not replace a processing agreement
Appendix C contains a checklist for data protection roles, categories of personal data, access, storage location, sub-processors, incident handling, and return of information. However, it is a screening appendix, not a complete data processing agreement.
If the consultant processes personal data on behalf of the client, Article 28 of the GDPR normally requires a separate, binding data processing agreement that regulates processing, instructions, and protective measures. See the IMY's guidance on processing agreements.
Confidentiality, liability, and insurance
The template provides a basic structure for confidentiality with exceptions for, for example, already public or legally known information. It also contains negotiable provisions on liability caps, potential indirect damage, professional indemnity insurance, and how defects are to be rectified.
Liability limitations should not be left unfilled. Terms must be adapted to the value and risk of the agreement. According to Section 36 of the Contracts Act, unreasonable contract terms can be adjusted or disregarded.
Termination, cancellation, and handover
The new template distinguishes between ongoing assignments and fixed-term assignments. Fill in the notice period, whether early termination is permitted, the cure period in case of breach of contract, payment for work performed, non-cancelable costs, and practical handover. Also regulate the return of client material, removal of access, and handling of personal data.
When should you choose another agreement?
This product is a general B2B template and should not be used unaltered for employment, consumer contracts, public procurement, comprehensive technical design, international tax arrangements, or high-risk consulting. If you are to work according to a specific industry standard agreement, such as ABK 09 in relevant consulting engineering projects, the entire contract structure must be adapted instead of mixing terms without analysis.
How to use the consulting agreement
- Open the Swedish DOCX version and identify the correct client, consultant, and authorized representatives.
- Verify F-tax/FA-tax and whether the assignment is truly independent.
- Fill in assignments, deliverables, schedule, and acceptance criteria in Appendix A.
- Choose compensation model, VAT handling, and cost ceiling in Appendix B.
- Decide who is authorized to approve changes and additional work.
- Negotiate intellectual property rights, confidentiality, liability, and insurance.
- Complete Appendix C and write a full data processing agreement if the GDPR requires it.
- Fill in termination, cancellation, handover, and dispute resolution.
- Remove all unused options and ensure all [brackets] have been replaced.
- Ensure that authorized representatives approve the master agreement and all current appendices.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a consulting agreement and an employment contract?
A consultant normally acts independently for a client, while an employee is covered by labor law regulations. The actual working relationship and circumstances determine this – not just the title of the document.
Is the consulting agreement suitable for a sole proprietorship?
Yes, if it is a truly independent business assignment. Check F-tax, the correct contracting party, and relevant tax/fee issues.
Does the consultant need to have F-tax?
It is important to check the status because it affects, among other things, the client's obligation to make tax deductions and sometimes pay employer contributions. The requirements must be assessed according to the tax regulations for the actual situation.
Who owns the result of the consultant's work?
It depends on the nature of the rights and the parties' valid agreement. The template contains a negotiable rights solution, but pre-existing material and third-party licenses must be handled explicitly.
Is a data processing agreement included?
No. Appendix C helps you assess the need. If the consultant is a data processor, a separate agreement is normally required according to GDPR Article 28.
Can I use the documents in English?
Yes, an English reference and English guide are included, but the legal basis is Swedish law – not British or American contract law.
Is a letter of intent or a quote appendix included?
Appendix A is a structured assignment description, and Appendix B regulates compensation and change orders. They should be filled in with the project's actual details.
Does the template guarantee that the agreement will hold up in a dispute?
No. A contract template must be adapted to the parties' relationship, financial risk, statutory limitations, and the actual negotiated terms.
Related templates
- Confidentiality Agreement (NDA) – Swedish template
- Data Processing Agreement (DPA) – Word/PDF
- Framework Agreement for companies – Word/PDF
- Customer Agreement B2B – Swedish + English
Official legal basis
The Contracts Act (1915:218), especially Section 36; the Interest Act (1975:635); the Copyright Act (1960:729); Swedish Tax Agency regarding F-tax; GDPR Article 28 and IMY's guidance.
General documentation support for Swedish commercial assignments. Legal framework verified against official sources October 8, 2026. This is not individual legal, tax, or data protection advice.
