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How to create a contract template

Create a contract template in Planday or upload your own contract and use data from your Planday workspace.

Written by Saad Saeed

🔓 Access level in Planday: Administrator, HR manager

🌐 Subscription plan: Plus, Pro

⏱️ Reading time: 4 min

ℹ️ Important read: How to create and edit employees

For employees: See How do I sign a contract electronically in Planday

What are contract templates?

With the contract module in Planday, you can create or upload contracts and automatically personalise them using employee data. This allows you to create one template per employee type, group, or department, and reuse it for new hires using merge fields.

These can be employment contracts, equipment loan agreements, or any other documents that require a staff member’s signature.

Create or edit a contract template

Go to Planday web > Settings > People > Contract set-up

You will find a list of existing contract templates here or an option to create a new new. Start by clicking Create

  • Giving the contract a unique name

  • Selecting Employee groups

  • (Optional) Assigning a category

Choose how to create your contract

You can create your contract in two ways: by using the built-in editor or by uploading a document.

Insert text (Planday editor)

Use the built-in text editor to:

  • Compose your contract directly in Planday

  • Format and style the content

  • Insert merge fields to personalise employee data

You can also add and position your company logo in the document by uploading a file.

screenshot-cceteam.planday.com-2022.04.08-10_40_31.png

Import document (.doc file)

Upload an existing .doc file in your company’s layout and content. We recommend using Microsoft Word so you can:

  • Insert merge fields

  • Maintain formatting

  • Fully utilise Planday’s contract features

Planday EN Screenshots for HC.002.png

Using merge fields

Merge fields automatically pull employee data from Planday into your contract template. This makes it easy to generate a dynamic, reusable document each time you need to send a contract to a new employee.

  • Find available merge fields below the editor, along with example data

  • When using the Planday editor, use the format: <field_name>

  • When using an imported .doc file, use the format: field_name (without < >)

  • Custom fields added via the employee form (e.g. visa info or compliance) use the prefix: custom_

To learn more, see a List of merge fields for contracts

Add a custom field

If you need a new merge field:

  1. Go to Settings > People > Employee form setup

  2. Create a new field

  3. Add data to the employee profile

  4. Use it as a merge field in your contract

Using merge fields in Microsoft Word

Guidance for PC (Windows)

Guidance for Mac

Step 1: Insert a merge field

  1. Open your contract in Word.

  2. Go to the Insert tab (from Ribbon).

  3. Click Quick Parts → Field.

  4. In the Field window:

    1. Select All categories

    2. Choose MergeField (tip: press M twice to jump quickly)

  5. In Field name, enter the Planday field (e.g., FirstName). Be sure not to include < or > in your value.

  6. Click OK.

Step 1: Insert a merge field

  1. Open your contract in Word.

  2. Go to the Insert menu (top menu bar).

  3. Click Field.

    • In the Field dialog:

    • Select All categories

    • Choose MergeField

  4. Enter the field name (e.g., FirstName). Be sure not to include < or > in your value.

  5. Click OK.

Step 2: Edit or Duplicate fields

To save time, duplicate existing fields instead of creating new ones from scratch by following these steps:

  1. Copy an existing merge field.

  2. Paste it where needed.

  3. Right-click the field and select Toggle Field Codes.

  4. Rename the field.

  5. Right-click again and click Update Field.

Step 2: Edit or Duplicate fields

To save time, duplicate existing fields instead of creating new ones from scratch by following these steps:

  1. Copy and paste an existing merge field.

  2. Control-click (or right-click) the field.

  3. Select Toggle Field Codes.

  4. Rename the field.

  5. Update it by selecting Update Field.

Step 3: Save and Upload

  1. Save your Word document.

  2. Upload it to Planday using Import document in create Contract template.

Step 3: Save and Upload

  1. Save your document.

  2. Upload it to Planday using Import document in create Contract template.

See example of Step 1: Insert a merge field

Planday EN Screenshots for HC.001.png

See example of Step 2: Edit or Duplicate fields

Generate a test contract

Preview your template by generating a test contract.

This uses your own profile data to show how the contract will appear for employees.

Read next:

How to create and send a contract to an employee

ℹ️ Need more help?

🔍 Search the Help Center | See videos at Tutorials.Planday.com | Watch a webinar

💬 For personalised support

Login and contact our support team via the blue icon at the bottom if you have more questions or book a one-to-one professional training session with an expert.

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