For web developers
Before you sign that web development contract, check these three things.
A website build is agreed as a scope and a price. The contract behind it decides when the work counts as accepted, whether you are on the hook for fixes long after launch, and who owns the code, including the parts you reuse on every project.
This website agreement ties the final payment to an approval that has no deadline and promises free fixes with no end date.
Final payment waits on approval with no deadline
Nothing makes the approval happen: without a review window, the last payment can stay unpaid while the site is already live.
Ask for
Ask for a review period after which the work counts as accepted if no written objection is raised.
- Free fixes with no end dateMedium · Scope
- Your reusable tools are handed overLow · IP
The numbers
In May 2025, there were 70,190 wage and salary jobs for web developers in the U.S., with a median annual wage of $92,650.
These figures count jobs, not people, and do not include self-employed work — so they say little about how many web developers work freelance or run their own business.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025, national estimates for SOC 15-1254. Public domain.
Acceptance, maintenance and who owns the code
- Acceptance — Without a clear acceptance step, the final payment can wait on approval that never comes. Look for a review window after which the work counts as accepted.
- Maintenance after launch — A warranty or support promise with no end date can turn one project into unpaid ongoing work. Check how long it lasts and what it covers.
- Code ownership — Check whether the ownership transfer carves out your own tools, libraries and templates, or hands over everything you bring to the job.
Check the agreement before you write the first line
A development contract decides when you are finished and what you keep. Free: one analysis every 30 days, no card. Each analysis gives a risk read of the key clauses, quotes the contract's own words for its findings, and turns each flagged clause into a specific ask.
Analyze my contract — free- Encrypted in transit & at rest
- Files auto-deleted after 30 days
- Never used to train models
- Informational — not legal advice