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Create a Contract Template

Create contract templates for onboarding or changes to pay conditions, in the built-in editor or from a Word document.

What’s covered in this guide?

Access contract templates

To access existing contract templates or create a new template, navigate to the Contracts & Documents hub under the Workforce tab.

Create a new contract template

  1. Go to Workforce > Contracts & Documents

  2. Click + New Contract Template.

  3. Enter a Template name.

  4. Choose a Contract format:

    • Build in Tanda (rich text): write the contract in the built-in editor.

    • Upload a Word document (.docx): use a contract you’ve written in Word.

  5. Optionally, choose teams or locations under Optionally scope this template to specific teams/locations. If you don’t choose any, the template is available to all teams.

  6. Under When would you like to use this template?, choose When onboarding staff, When updating an employee’s employment conditions, or Both.

  7. Click Create.

Note: You can’t change the contract format after the template is created.

Option 1: Build in the editor (rich text)

After you click Create, the editor opens. Write your contract on the Edit Contract tab.

  • Dynamic Fields: copy a field from the panel on the right and paste it into your contract (see Dynamic fields below).

  • Custom Fields: fields you fill in yourself when the contract is sent, for example during onboarding.

  • Conditional Content: text that only shows in some cases.

To check how it looks, open the Preview tab. Preview uses example data.

When you’ve finished, click Save. Changes apply straight away.

You can also import an HTML file from the Setup tab.

Images

You can add images, such as a logo, to a rich text template:

  • Upload (recommended): use the attach button in the editor’s toolbar and choose an image from your computer. Workforce stores the image for you.

  • Copy and paste: the image is linked from where you copied it. If it’s moved or deleted there, it disappears from your contract.

Text formatting

You can use bold, italics, strikethrough, links, headings, quotes, code blocks, bullet points and numbered lists. If you format a dynamic field, for example in bold, the filled-in value uses the same formatting.

Template

Contract

Option 2: Upload a Word document

Use this if your contracts are already written in Word.

  1. In your Word document, add dynamic fields where you want Workforce to fill in details, for example {{name}} or {{contract_start_date}}. See Dynamic fields below.

  2. Add signature fields where people should sign (see Signatures below).

  3. Create the template with Upload a Word document (.docx) as the format, and upload your file. The file must be a .docx and up to 15 MB. You can also upload it after creating the template.

After you click Create, the template opens with four tabs: Contract template, Preview fields, Versions and Setup.

On the Contract template tab, you’ll see a preview of your document. Fields Workforce can fill in are highlighted green. Anything else is highlighted yellow, and the manager fills it in when the contract is sent. The fields are listed under Tanda fills and Manager fills.

To change the document, upload a new file on the Contract template tab while the template is a draft.

⚠️ Important: A Word template can’t be sent until you publish it. See Publish a Word template below.

Dynamic fields

Dynamic fields are placeholders that fill in automatically from the employee’s profile, their pay conditions and your account settings. This lets you use one template for many employees.

For example:

In the template

What the employee sees

Dear {{name}}, Congratulations on your promotion to {{position_title}}. Your new rate of pay is £{{hourly_rate}}.

Dear Amy Smith, Congratulations on your promotion to Manager. Your new rate of pay is £12.60.

To see every field you can use, open What dynamic fields can I use? in a Word template, or the Dynamic Fields panel in the editor. Click Copy next to a field to copy it.

If a field can’t be filled from the employee’s details, the person sending the contract types it in. The contract can’t be sent until every field is filled. The exception is the employee’s address ({{emp_address}}) in Word templates, which can be filled from their profile before they sign.

Optional clauses (Word templates)

To make a section optional, put it between {{#clause:name}} and {{/clause:name}}, each on its own line. The person sending the contract chooses whether to include it. Add :off, as in {{#clause:name:off}}, to leave it out by default.

Learn more in the Dynamic Fields guide.

Signatures

Word templates

Add these fields where people should sign:

  • Employee: {{signature_employee}}, plus {{signature_employee_date}} and {{signature_employee_name}} if you want the date and their name.

  • Manager (optional): {{signature_manager}}, plus {{signature_manager_date}} and {{signature_manager_name}}.

People sign in the order their signature fields appear in the document. If the manager’s signature comes first, the manager sending the contract signs it as they send it, so they need a saved contract signature on their profile. If it comes after the employee’s, a manager countersigns once the employee has signed.

If you don’t add {{signature_employee}}, the employee’s signature is added at the end of the document. Signature fields can’t go inside an optional clause.

Rich text templates

You don’t need to add a signature field. The employee signs when they accept the contract.

Publish a Word template

A new Word template starts as a draft.

  1. Open the template and go to the Versions tab.

  2. Click Publish on the draft, then confirm.

If Publish is greyed out, go back to the Contract template tab to see what needs fixing, for example a missing document or a signature field in the wrong place.

To change a published Word template, go to Versions and click Start New Draft.

Make your changes, then publish the new draft. Only the published version is sent. Earlier versions stay under History, where you can download them.

Edit or delete a template

  • Edit: on the Contract Templates list, click View/Edit. For Word templates, change the name, teams and other settings on the Setup tab.

  • Delete: use the menu on the template’s row and click Delete.

Contracts you’ve already sent don’t change when you edit or delete a template. Each sent contract keeps the wording it had when it was sent.

FAQs

Can I send a Word template from an employee’s profile?

No. Word templates can be sent during onboarding, or when you change an employee’s pay conditions, for one employee or in bulk. They don’t show under Send Contracts on the employee’s profile. To send from there, use a rich text template.

Why can’t I see my Word template when sending a contract?

Check it’s been published. A Word template with no published version can’t be sent. Also check When would you like to use this template? includes what you’re doing, and that it isn’t limited to other teams or locations.

Why is a field highlighted yellow in my Word template?

Workforce doesn’t recognise it as a dynamic field, so the person sending the contract types it in.

Check the spelling against What dynamic fields can I use?. Fields must be written with double curly brackets, for example {{name}}.

Can I add images or logos?

Yes. In a rich text template, use the attach button in the editor’s toolbar. In a Word template, add them to your Word document.

Can I download a contract template?

For a rich text template, open the Preview tab, click Print, then choose Save as PDF. For a Word template, go to Versions and click Download next to a version.

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