Should Designers Give Clients Source Files?

Project done, client happy, final PNGs and PDFs delivered. Then: "Can you send the layered files too? Our in-house person wants to make changes." If your contract doesn't mention source files, you now have to decide on the spot, and whatever you decide, someone may feel short-changed.

The answer isn't universal. But it should always be in the contract before work starts.

• Final files: the finished, usable outputs, such as PNG, JPG, PDF, SVG exports, MP4 videos, a live website.
• Source files (working files): the editable originals, such as layered design files, project files from editing software, uncompiled code, fonts and linked assets.

Final files let the client use the work. Source files let them (or someone else) change it. They are worth more, and they often include your own techniques, templates and reusable components.

1. Source files included: common in logo and brand identity work, where the client needs vector masters. Price the project accordingly.
2. Source files for a fee: finals included; working files available for an extra fee.
3. Source files not provided: the client receives finals and a licence to use them, and comes back to you for changes.

None is wrong. What causes problems is not saying which one applies.

Example: "Deliverables include final files in the formats listed in the Scope. Editable source files are not included unless listed in the Scope, and may be provided on request for an additional fee of $[AMOUNT]. Third-party assets (such as fonts and stock images) are licensed separately and are not transferred with source files."

See the source files clause and the third-party assets clause. Remember that handing over files and transferring ownership are separate questions; the IP transfer clause handles the second.

If your source files contain your own templates, brushes, code snippets or design systems you use across clients, a background IP clause keeps those yours while giving the client a licence to use them as part of the deliverable.

Templates that already address this: graphic design, logo design and web design.

A designer created a brochure and social templates for a client. The contract lists PDF and PNG finals and says source files are available for a fee. At handover the client asks for the layered files.

"Happy to help. The package we agreed includes the print-ready PDF and the PNG exports. The editable source files are available for $350, as set out in our agreement. They'll include the layered layouts and linked images. The fonts are licensed separately, so your team will need their own licence to edit the text. Would you like me to add them to the final invoice?"

The reply is friendly, points to what was agreed, explains what's in the package and flags the font licensing before it becomes a problem.

There's no standard figure. Freelancers typically consider:

• How much time it takes to clean up, organise and package the files so someone else can use them.
• What the client loses by coming back to you: with source files they may not need you for future changes.
• Whether reusable components of yours are inside the files.

Some designers price source files as a flat fee per project; others as a percentage of the project fee. Pick one approach and use it consistently.

• Saying nothing in the contract, then negotiating under pressure at handover.
• Handing over files that include licensed fonts or stock as if they were yours to transfer.
• Messy working files. If you do deliver them, name the layers and include a short readme.
• Holding back source files that were clearly promised in the scope, as leverage. If it's in the scope and paid for, deliver it.

If the client owns the copyright, do they automatically get the source files? Not necessarily. Ownership of rights and delivery of particular files are usually treated as separate points in the contract, which is exactly why it's worth writing down. This is general information, not legal advice.

Can I offer source files later, after the project? Yes. A later request can be quoted like any other extra.

Draft it now with Clinch: describe the job in a sentence, get a clean draft, send one link. Your client signs from their phone without an account, and the deposit is paid in the same step.