Agency Support Retainers

How a retainer works

We agree on a number of hours each month and the work I will cover. You send requests as they arise, and I track the time spent. A retainer reserves room in my schedule for your work, but it does not promise immediate response or around-the-clock coverage. If your needs change, we can adjust the next month's hours by agreement.

Projects with a defined scope, third-party costs, and work outside our agreed services are quoted or approved separately. The rate and approach for additional work depend on what the work requires; retainer hours do not automatically apply to every request.

Working together

Confidentiality and work product

We each keep the other's nonpublic business and client information confidential and use it only for the agreed work. Agency and client accounts remain under their owners' control. I will not publicly identify agency clients or share their work without permission. The general working and access policies explain my access practices and how I handle agency client relationships. The individual agreement specifies ownership of new deliverables and how existing tools, code, and third-party materials may be used.

Responsibilities and service limits

The individual agreement identifies who is responsible for backups, account access, security requirements, and any specific response commitments. Troubleshooting may depend on hosting providers, registrars, plugins, and other third parties, so a retainer cannot guarantee uninterrupted service or a particular fix time. The agreement also sets liability limits appropriate to the work and its risks.

Hours and billing

Monthly retainer hours apply to that calendar month. Unused hours expire at month-end and do not roll over or convert to a refund. If I cannot provide agreed capacity for reasons on my side, we will agree on a credit or rescheduling rather than count that time as unused client hours. Hours beyond the monthly allotment require approval and are billed at the overage rate in your individual agreement. I will flag when you are approaching the monthly allotment.

Billing increments. I count covered work by task against the monthly hours. Most tasks are counted in one-hour increments, rounded up to the next hour. For a straightforward support task, I may use 30-minute increments, rounded up to the next half-hour. I do not bill by the minute. The same increments apply to approved overages unless your individual agreement says otherwise.

The monthly retainer is invoiced in advance and due on the first business day of each month. Approved overages are billed separately and due within 30 calendar days of the invoice date. For a mid-month start, we will agree on the initial period and charge before work begins. Work may be paused if an invoice remains unpaid after its due date.

Payment methods. I accept paper checks, Zelle, and ACH/direct deposit. PayPal is available by prior agreement, with any processing costs accounted for in the agreed price. Please allow enough mailing or transfer time for payment to arrive by the due date.

Ending or changing a retainer

Either of us may end the retainer by giving written notice at least 10 calendar days before the next month begins. If cancellation notice comes later, the existing arrangement continues through that next month unless we both agree otherwise. Changes to monthly hours or rates require our written agreement. Email to the contact address in our individual agreement counts as written notice. The current month's retainer is not refundable once that month begins. We can always agree in writing on a different end date or transition plan.

The individual agreement also addresses suspension or early termination for a serious breach, including nonpayment or misuse of access, and how final charges and any transition work are handled.

Changes to these policies

I may update these general policies and will show a new version and effective date when I do. A revised version applies to new retainer proposals from its effective date. It does not change an active agency's signed agreement. I will send proposed changes that affect an active retainer to that agency; they take effect only if we both agree in writing. Until then, the signed agreement continues unless ended under its notice terms.