How to reference-check contractors and freelancers
A limited company contractor has no line manager to ask. Their clients are the people who saw the work, so ask them.
Who should give contractor references?
Contractor references should come from the people who saw the work: the end client's hiring manager or project lead on recent contracts, and where useful the agency that placed them. For limited company contractors and freelancers there is often no employer to ask. RefAssure sends each client referee a request, chases with 5 emails and up to 2 texts, and files a signed PDF.
Why contractor references are different
An employee reference comes from an employer who knows dates, role and conduct. A contractor works through their own limited company, an umbrella company or as a sole trader, often on several short engagements a year. Nobody on payroll managed them, so the usual "confirm dates and job title" request misses the point.
Who to ask instead
- The end client. The hiring manager, project lead or team lead who signed off the work. This is usually the most useful reference.
- The agency that placed them. It can confirm contract dates, extensions and whether the client would take them back.
- An umbrella company. It can confirm the engagement period it paid them for, but it did not see the work, so treat it as a dates check. See umbrella company references.
Cover the gaps
Short contracts leave gaps between them. That is normal for contractors, but ask for a simple list of engagements with dates and clients so the references line up with the history. If the role is in a regulated setting, such as care, schools or the NHS, the sector rules on how far back references must reach still apply to contractors. Being on a contract does not lower the bar.
Questions that suit a client referee.
Swap attendance questions for questions about delivery.
Engagement dates
When did the contract start and end, and was it extended?
What they delivered
What were they brought in to do, and did they do it?
Quality and pace
Rate the quality of their work and their speed on a 1 to 10 scale.
Would you re-engage?
A simple yes or no that says more than a paragraph.
Running a contractor reference in RefAssure.
Build a contractor template
Start from a starter template or upload your own form, and add delivery questions. Up to 25 questions per template.
Add the client referees
Enter each referee's work email and, ideally, a mobile for faster replies.
Consent, then contact
The contractor signs consent online, then RefAssure contacts the referees and chases them for you.
Share the PDF
Each completed reference is signed and timestamped, ready to send to your client.
Fast enough for a Monday start.
Contract roles move quickly. Across 229 completed references the median turnaround was about 23 hours.
Red flags in contractor references
Most contractors have a trail of happy clients. A few patterns are worth a second look before you put someone forward.
- A referee with a personal email address who says they managed the contract at a large organisation. Ask for a work address, or a second referee from the same client.
- Dates that do not match the CV. A six month contract on the CV that the client remembers as six weeks is worth a conversation.
- Every referee is another contractor. Peers can speak to skills, but someone with authority over the engagement should confirm delivery.
- Vague answers to "would you re-engage?" A hesitant answer to a simple question often says more than the rest of the form.
Our guide to fake references covers the warning signs in more depth, and how a signed, timestamped reference makes them easier to spot.
Contractor reference questions
More in the full FAQs.
Can a limited company contractor give their own reference?
No. A director of their own company cannot independently confirm their work. Ask the clients they delivered for instead.
How many contractor references should I get?
Two from recent clients is a common choice, more if the engagements were very short. For roles with vulnerable people, the Conduct Regulations 2003 require agencies to obtain two references.
Is a client willing to give a reference?
Many are, especially when it is a short online form rather than a phone call. RefAssure sends a unique secure link with no login, so a busy manager can reply from their phone.
Do contractors need the same checks as employees?
Usually yes for the role itself. Right to work and sector checks still apply where relevant. See pre-employment checks.
What about temporary workers on short assignments?
The approach is similar: references from recent assignments, with dates lined up. See temp worker references.
What does it cost?
Your first reference is free, then credits cost from 99p down to 80p with no monthly fee and no VAT added. See pricing.
Related guides
Contractor references, done before day one.
Your first reference is free. Two minutes to send, and RefAssure does the rest.