Overview
The contracts module lets you build contract templates, generate employee-specific documents, collect e-signatures, and track the full contract lifecycle. This feature is available on the Professional plan and above.
Contract templates
Templates define the structure and content of your contracts. Each template supports 40+ placeholders that are automatically filled with employee and company data when a contract is generated.
Creating a template
- Go to Settings > Contracts > Templates.
- Click New Template.
- Write or paste your contract content in the rich text editor.
- Insert placeholders using the Insert Placeholder menu or by typing
{{placeholder_name}}. - Save the template.
Common placeholders
| Placeholder | Value |
|---|---|
{{employee.full_name}} | Employee's full name |
{{employee.start_date}} | Employment start date |
{{employee.job_title}} | Job title |
{{employee.salary}} | Annual salary |
{{employee.department}} | Department name |
{{company.name}} | Company name |
{{company.address}} | Company registered address |
{{contract.effective_date}} | Contract effective date |
{{contract.end_date}} | Contract end date (if fixed-term) |
The full placeholder list is available in Settings > Contracts > Templates > Placeholder Reference.
Contract lifecycle
Every contract moves through a defined set of statuses:
- Draft. the contract is created from a template and can be edited.
- Sent. the contract is sent to the employee for review and signature.
- Signed. the employee has signed the contract via the e-signature link.
- Executed. a manager or admin countersigns, finalizing the contract.
- Archived. the contract is filed for record-keeping after a newer contract replaces it.
Generating a contract
- Go to People > [Employee] > Contracts.
- Click New Contract and select a template.
- TimeLeaf fills in all placeholders automatically. Review the generated content and make any manual edits.
- Click Save as Draft or Send for Signature to move directly to the sent state.
E-signatures
When a contract is sent, the employee receives an email with a unique, time-limited signing token. The token link opens the contract in a browser where the employee can:
- Review the full contract text
- Type or draw their signature
- Submit the signed contract
Signing tokens expire after 7 days by default. You can resend the signing link from the contract detail page. Once signed, the contract is locked and no further edits are possible.
PDF generation
TimeLeaf generates a PDF version of every contract. PDFs are created:
- Automatically when a contract moves to Executed status
- On demand by clicking Download PDF on any contract
The PDF includes the contract text, signatures, timestamps, and a unique document ID for audit purposes.
Activity log
Every contract maintains a detailed activity log showing:
- Who created, edited, sent, signed, and executed the contract
- Timestamps for each status change
- IP addresses for signature events
- Any manual edits made to the generated content
View the activity log under People > [Employee] > Contracts > [Contract] > Activity.
Contracts are retained according to your data retention policy. Archived contracts remain accessible and downloadable until the retention period expires.