Freelance Proposal Template for Australian Solos
Affiliate disclosure: This article may contain affiliate links (including Amazon Associates) and links to products sold by the site owner (Andrew / NDYT on Gumroad). As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through affiliate links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice.
Most Australian freelancers lose deals in the gap between “sounds interesting” and a signed start. The gap is usually a missing proposal artefact — not a missing talent. A calm one-to-three page proposal locks scope, AUD price, deposit, and payment schedule before you open Notion and start working for free.
This guide is a practical freelance proposal template Australia freelancers can reuse. It is not a lawyer-reviewed contract. Pair it with a short SOW and your usual invoice hygiene.
What a high-intent AU proposal must include
- Client + project name — legal entity if you have it; trading name if not yet
- Problem in one paragraph — their words, not your service menu
- Proposed outcome — what “done” looks like in client language
- Scope inclusions — 5–8 bullets a boss can forward
- Explicit exclusions — at least three; this is where margin dies otherwise
- Package / fee in AUD — GST-inclusive or exclusive stated plainly
- Payment schedule — deposit %, progress invoices, Net 7/14
- Timeline — start date gated on deposit clearance
- How to accept — reply “approved”, sign, or pay deposit link
- Validity — “Proposal valid until …” so stale PDFs expire
A simple structure that fits on two pages
| Section | Length | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Context & goal | ½ page | Prove you listened |
| Scope in / out | ½–1 page | Prevent scope creep later |
| Investment & schedule | ½ page | Cash before kickoff |
| Next step | ¼ page | One clear CTA |
If you need twelve pages of case studies, put them in an appendix or a separate capability deck. The proposal itself should be decidable in one sitting.
AUD, GST, and PayID without theatre
State prices in AUD. If you are GST-registered, label inclusive or exclusive and keep the same rule on the invoice. If you are not, do not invent a GST line. Capture the client’s legal entity and any PO during onboarding — AP rejections are self-inflicted delays. Put PayID / payment rails on the proposal or the deposit invoice so “where do I pay?” never becomes a three-day email chain.
Operational flags only: ABN & GST lite admin in Notion. Invoice layout: AU invoice + ABN checklist.
Deposit and payment schedule (defaults that work)
- New client / project work: 30–50% deposit before kickoff; remainder on milestone or Net 14
- Small fixed jobs under your threshold: 100% upfront or 50/50
- Retainers: invoice on the 1st before the month starts
Write the deposit as a default, not a shy ask mid-call. Scripts: how to ask for a deposit. Package the numbers first: pricing one-pager.
Where the proposal sits in the acquisition stack
- Discovery call — qualify fit and budget reality
- Pricing one-pager if they only asked “what do you charge?”
- Proposal / SOW — this document
- Deposit invoice → cleared cash
- Onboarding checklist → kickoff
Discovery call script: AU freelance discovery call. Kickoff system: client onboarding checklist. If scope expands mid-project: change-request email.
Notion ops so proposals do not die in Downloads
- Proposal status: Draft / Sent / Negotiation / Deposit invoiced / Won / Lost
- Link to PDF + version date
- Next follow-up date (Day +3 / +7 if silent)
- Lost reason (price / timing / fit) — improve the template, not your self-esteem
Owned products
- Proposal & SOW Pack (A$19) — one-pagers that lock scope and payment schedule
- Freelance Cashflow Pack (A$29) — invoice + late-payment emails + pricing one-pager
- Client Onboarding Pack (A$19) — run after deposit clears
Not legal advice. For large or high-risk engagements, use a lawyer-reviewed agreement.