Can a contractor attach their insurance certificate while signing?

Yes. Add an upload field and they attach the file as part of signing.

Is this the same as sending an employment agreement?

The steps are similar, but contractors usually need invoicing and insurance fields that a new employee does not, so it is worth a separate template.

Can I see whether the contractor has opened it?

Yes. The envelope shows when it was opened and who still needs to sign.

Guides · By document

Sending a contractor agreement for signature.

Engaging an independent contractor means paperwork that differs from hiring staff: a contract for services, a schedule of work, details for paying invoices and often proof of insurance. Here is how to send the agreement your business already uses and collect everything in one go.

What to include in the envelope

Put the agreement and its schedules together. Many businesses also send their health and safety induction or site rules, so the contractor acknowledges those in the same sitting.

The contractor agreement itself.
A schedule setting out the services, hours or milestones and the rate.
Your health and safety or site rules, for acknowledgement.
A details page for invoicing and payment information.

Collect the details you need to pay them

Contractors invoice you, so you usually need their full business name, NZBN if they have one, IRD number, and bank account details. Add text fields for each, and mark them required so the envelope cannot be completed with a blank. If a contractor is having tax withheld from their payments, you might also ask for their IR330C as a file upload.

Use upload fields for anything you need to sight, like a public liability insurance certificate, a trade licence or a driver licence for a courier engagement.

Order of signing

Have the contractor sign first, then the manager engaging them signs on behalf of the business. That keeps your side from signing an agreement whose details have not been confirmed. If procurement or finance checks contractor engagements, put them in as an approver after the contractor and before the manager.

Engaging the same contractor again

Repeat engagements are common: the same electrician, designer or IT specialist under a fresh schedule. Save your agreement as a template with roles for Contractor and Engaging Manager, and only the schedule changes each time. If the contractor's insurance has lapsed since the last job, a fresh upload field asks for the current certificate.

Once it is signed

The contractor and your manager each get the finished agreement with a completion certificate. Copy in accounts payable so they have the bank details and IRD number ready for the first invoice. With Xero connected, the signed agreement can be filed automatically and the contractor added as a contact, which saves keying their details twice.

Common questions

Can a contractor attach their insurance certificate while signing?: Yes. Add an upload field and they attach the file as part of signing.
Is this the same as sending an employment agreement?: The steps are similar, but contractors usually need invoicing and insurance fields that a new employee does not, so it is worth a separate template.
Can I see whether the contractor has opened it?: Yes. The envelope shows when it was opened and who still needs to sign.