Create a contract
Turn an approved quote into a contract with the contract wizard, then send it to your client to sign.
Contracts in Tillage are created from approved quotes. The contract wizard takes your quote’s client, line items and total, applies a contract template, and walks you through each section: deliverables, payment schedule, timeline and signature. When your client signs, the invoices in the payment schedule are created for you.
Before you start
- An approved quote. See Send and approve. Each quote can have one contract.
- A contract template. Tillage doesn’t include one, so create a template first.
- A saved signature. The wizard signs on behalf of your company. Save yours in Account Settings → Signature, or set one up from inside the wizard. See Signatures.
- Payment schedule templates, if your contract template has a Payment Schedule block. Tillage adds a starter set the first time you need them. See Payment schedules.
Start the contract wizard
- Open the approved quote and click Next Steps.
- In Quote Approved! Choose Next Steps, choose Contract Flow.
The wizard shows Step X of Y at the top. Use Next and Back to move between steps, and Skip this section on any block your template marks as optional. The wizard doesn’t close if you click outside it, so you won’t lose your work by accident.
Wizard steps
The steps depend on the blocks in your template. Text and Signature blocks don’t need a step; their content comes straight from the template.
| Step | What you do |
|---|---|
| Select Template | Choose the contract template. |
| Basic Information | Check the Contract Title, pre-filled from the template’s title format, and set the Project Start Date. Dates in the payment schedule count from this date. |
| Deliverables | Tick the quote line items to include. Use Select All or Deselect All. |
| Payment Schedule | Choose how the client pays, or Invoice in Full for a single invoice. Click Customize to adjust it for this contract. |
| Ongoing Services | Set up the recurring service: name, start date, frequency and at least one line item. |
| Project Timeline | Add phases with Add Phase, each with a Date Range. Choose whether to Show phase duration in contract and Show linked deliverables in timeline. |
| Attachments | Turn on Include Original Quote to attach the quote as Appendix A. |
| Company Signature | Choose who signs for your company under Sign on Behalf of Company. Anyone on your team with a saved signature is listed. |
| Contract Summary | Review your choices. |
| Preview Contract | Read the full contract with all variables filled in. |
| Send to Client | Choose recipients and write the email message. |
The company signature is applied as soon as the contract is created, so your client signs a contract that’s already signed by you.
Send the contract
On the Send to Client step:
- Under Recipients, tick contacts under Client Contacts, or add others under Additional Email Addresses (comma-separated).
- Write the Email Message.
- Click Send to Client.
Tillage creates the contract and emails each recipient a View & Sign Contract button. The email’s subject is “Contract:” followed by the contract title. The contract’s status changes to Sent.
Create it without sending
Click Create Contract instead to create the contract as a draft. Tillage copies the signing link to your clipboard, but clients can’t open a draft yet; they see “Contract In Progress”.
To share it yourself, open the contract, choose Mark as Sent from the … menu, pick the client contact (or enter an email) and confirm. The signed copy goes to that address. After that, the link works and Copy Link appears in the menu.
To email it later instead, choose Send to Client from the contract’s … menu. This emails the client’s primary contact.
Sending a contract doesn’t require Stripe, but collecting payment on the invoices it creates does.
Contract statuses
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Not Sent | A draft. Only you can preview it. |
| Sent | Sent or marked as sent, waiting for the client. |
| Viewed | The client has opened the link. |
| Signed | The client has signed. |
| Executed | Fully signed and in effect. Tillage moves a signed contract here straight away and creates its invoices. |
Contract numbers count up automatically as CT-0001, CT-0002 and so on.
Edit a contract
Open the contract and choose Edit Contract from the … menu. In the contract builder you can change the title, edit blocks and click Add Block, then Save Contract.
- Before sending, edit freely.
- After sending, edits change the contract your client sees. Tillage warns you; let your client know about significant changes.
- After signing, the contract is locked and can’t be edited.
Delete a contract
Choose Delete Contract from the contract’s … menu. Its blocks and activity history are deleted, and the quote goes back to Approved so you can create a new contract from it.
You can’t delete an executed contract, or one with invoices or payment plans linked to it. There’s no separate void or cancel action.
Contracts without a quote
The web app creates contracts from approved quotes only. To create a standalone contract that just collects signatures, such as an NDA, use the Tillage API or an AI assistant connected through MCP. See Claude and ChatGPT and API and webhooks.