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WordPress maintenance contract & SLA — free template

Reviewed by Ali Yasin Jatoi, Founder & Lead Engineer· Updated 2026-07-03

A 10-clause WordPress maintenance contract with a real service level agreement — scope, response times, backup RTO/RPO, security split, DPA, liability, and termination. Written from actual contracts we've signed with SMB, agency, and mid-market clients. Copy it, adapt the schedules, run it past your lawyer.

Last updated · Reviewed by Ali Yasin Jatoi

Quick answer

A WordPress maintenance contract is a written agreement between a site owner and a provider that defines what maintenance work is included (updates, backups, monitoring, security), the response-time SLA when things break, the split of security responsibilities, backup RTO/RPO, data-protection terms (GDPR/CCPA), liability caps, and how either party can terminate. The 10 clauses below cover everything a normal SMB or agency contract needs.

10 real clauses

Scope, SLA, backups, security, changes, hosting, DPA, liability, term, governing law.

SLA-backed

Response times contractually enforced with month refund if missed.

GDPR-ready

DPA-compatible data-protection clause + sub-processor register.

Editor-friendly

Copy the text, swap Schedules A/B/C, review with your lawyer.

The WordPress maintenance contract template

Every clause below is production text from real WebCare agreements. Copy verbatim, replace the bracketed placeholders in the schedules, then have a solicitor or attorney review for your jurisdiction.

1. Scope of services

Provider shall perform WordPress maintenance services on the site(s) listed in Schedule A, including: (a) WordPress core, plugin, and theme updates tested on a staging environment before deployment to production; (b) daily off-site encrypted backups with a monthly restore-verification test; (c) uptime monitoring with alerting under 5 minutes; (d) security scanning and malware removal; (e) monthly performance and security report; (f) small content edits and change requests, capped per Schedule B.

2. Response and resolution SLA

Provider commits to first-response times as defined in Schedule B (Care: 12h; Care Plus: 8h; Commerce: 4h; Enterprise: 1h). Emergency response for site-down and checkout-down incidents shall not exceed the times in Schedule B (Care: same-day triage; Care Plus: 4h; Commerce: 1h; Enterprise: 15 min). First response is defined as a human acknowledgement and initiation of remediation work, not an automated ticket confirmation. If the SLA is not met, Provider shall credit the affected month in full.

3. Backup and data recovery

Provider shall retain at least thirty (30) rolling daily backups stored in an off-site region separate from the primary hosting provider. Backups shall be encrypted at rest using AES-256. Provider shall perform a full restore-verification test at least once per calendar month for each site and shall provide restore evidence upon request. In the event of catastrophic data loss, Provider commits to a Recovery Time Objective (RTO) of 4 hours and a Recovery Point Objective (RPO) of 24 hours.

4. Security responsibilities

Provider shall (a) enforce two-factor authentication on all administrator accounts under its control; (b) apply WordPress core and plugin security patches within 24 hours of vendor release for CVSS ≥ 7.0; (c) maintain a web application firewall (WAF) at either edge (Cloudflare) or origin layer; (d) perform monthly malware scans; (e) notify Client within 4 hours of any confirmed security incident affecting Client's site. Client shall (a) provide Provider with least-privilege administrator access; (b) not install nulled plugins or themes; (c) not modify wp-config.php or the .htaccess file without Provider's written approval.

5. Change requests and out-of-scope work

Small content edits (defined as changes taking a Provider engineer under 30 minutes) are included in the plan up to the monthly cap in Schedule B. Design changes, custom development, new page templates, plugin builds, and site migrations are out of scope and shall be quoted separately at Provider's then-current hourly rate. No out-of-scope work will commence without Client's written approval of a fixed-price or capped-hours estimate.

6. Hosting and infrastructure

Provider is not responsible for downtime, data loss, or performance issues caused by Client's hosting provider. If Client's hosting is the diagnosed root cause of an incident, Provider shall (a) supply Client with a written diagnosis; (b) provide a recommended migration path; (c) not charge for the diagnostic time. Provider may offer managed hosting as an add-on under a separate Schedule.

7. Data protection and confidentiality

All Client data — including customer PII, order records, and site content — shall be processed as a data processor under Client's instructions. Provider shall comply with GDPR, UK GDPR, and CCPA where applicable, execute a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) on request, maintain a record of processing activities, and delete Client data within 30 days of contract termination unless legally required to retain it. Sub-processors are limited to those listed in Schedule C; Provider shall notify Client 30 days prior to adding a new sub-processor.

8. Limitation of liability

Provider's aggregate liability under this Agreement, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), or otherwise, shall not exceed the total fees paid by Client to Provider in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim. Neither party shall be liable for indirect, consequential, or loss-of-profits damages. Nothing in this clause shall limit either party's liability for death or personal injury, fraud, or willful misconduct.

9. Term, renewal, and termination

This Agreement commences on the Effective Date and continues on a month-to-month basis. Either party may terminate for convenience on 30 days' written notice. Provider offers a 30-day money-back guarantee: if Client terminates within the first 30 days, all fees paid shall be refunded in full. On termination, Provider shall (a) export Client's site to a Client-nominated host; (b) supply the final backup archive; (c) transfer any Provider-held credentials; (d) delete all Client data from Provider systems within 30 days.

10. Governing law and dispute resolution

This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the jurisdiction stated in Schedule A. Any dispute arising under this Agreement shall first be subject to good-faith negotiation between the parties for a period of 30 days. Failing resolution, the dispute shall be resolved by binding arbitration in the seat named in Schedule A under the rules of the arbitration body named therein. Each party shall bear its own costs of arbitration.

Schedules A, B, C — the customisable bits

  • Schedule A — Site list & jurisdiction: list every site URL under management, the effective date, the client legal entity, and the governing-law jurisdiction (e.g. England & Wales, State of Delaware).
  • Schedule B — SLA & plan limits: exact first-response and emergency SLAs, coverage hours, communication channels, monthly edit-time cap, and hourly rate for out-of-scope work.
  • Schedule C — Sub-processor register: the third-party services processing Client data on Provider's behalf (e.g. hosting provider, backup storage, email delivery, error-monitoring). Required for GDPR Article 28 compliance.

WordPress maintenance contract FAQ

Do I need a WordPress maintenance contract?+

Yes if the site is generating leads, sales, or bookings — the contract is what turns 'we'll respond quickly' into a legally enforceable SLA with a refund attached. If the site is a hobby project, a handshake works. For anything commercial, a written contract with defined scope, response times, backup RTO/RPO, and data-processing terms is standard due diligence, and most enterprise or government clients will ask for one before signing.

What should a WordPress maintenance contract include?+

At minimum: (1) scope of services (what's included, what's out of scope); (2) response and resolution SLA with a remedy for missed SLAs; (3) backup RTO/RPO and restore-verification cadence; (4) security responsibilities split between provider and client; (5) change-request and out-of-scope billing terms; (6) data-protection clause (GDPR/CCPA/DPA); (7) limitation of liability; (8) termination and data-return clause; (9) governing law. The 10 clauses on this page cover all of the above.

Is the template on this page legally binding?+

It's a starting point drafted from real contracts we've signed with SMB, agency, and mid-market clients — not legal advice for your jurisdiction. Have a solicitor or attorney review before signing anything with a customer or vendor. The clauses are structured to be copy-ready with minimal editing: swap the schedules, add your jurisdiction, run it past your lawyer.

What's the difference between a WordPress maintenance contract and an SLA?+

The contract is the whole legal agreement — scope, payment, liability, termination, IP, everything. The SLA (service level agreement) is one section inside it that defines the measurable service commitments: response time, resolution time, uptime %, backup frequency, restore RTO/RPO. On our contracts the SLA is Schedule B, so it can be updated without renegotiating the whole agreement.

How do you enforce the WordPress maintenance SLA?+

Two ways. Client-side: every response time is timestamped in our shared channel, so it's provable at any point. Provider-side: if we miss an SLA, the affected month is credited automatically without you having to ask. If we miss it three months in a row, we exit the contract voluntarily and refund the last month — because it means we're not the right fit, and burning your business is not worth the retainer.

Do you sign a DPA (Data Processing Agreement) for GDPR?+

Yes, on request. We execute a standard DPA on WebCare letterhead that covers GDPR Article 28 requirements: processor obligations, sub-processor list, security measures, breach notification, data deletion. Enterprise clients typically also add a Standard Contractual Clauses (SCC) addendum for cross-border transfers. Both are included at no extra cost on Care Plus and above.

Skip the paperwork — sign our SLA-backed plan

If you'd rather not draft your own, our WordPress support plans ship with this exact contract pre-signed on our side, plus a Schedule B tailored to your site. 30-day money-back if the SLA slips.

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