Contracts, Payments,
Minors & Deliverables
Running a Minecraft server means hiring help. This guide shows you how to reduce risk, handle commissioned work professionally, and avoid preventable drama.
Disclaimer: Not Legal Advice
This guide is not legal advice. It is practical advice for Minecraft server owners who want to handle commissioned work professionally and protect their servers, reputations, and wallets.
📋 What's Covered
Why This Matters & Biggest Mistakes
Minecraft communities run on fast-moving conversations, informal deals, and personal trust. A server owner might think it's a small job, or they can sort details out later. That can work right up until it does not.
What Written Agreements Prevent
- ▸ Paying for work never delivered
- ▸ Receiving mismatched work
- ▸ Endless revision demands
- ▸ Arguments over file ownership
- ▸ Missed deadlines
- ▸ Chargebacks & payment disputes
- ▸ Confusion involving minors
- ▸ Accusations with no paper trail
The 7 Biggest Mistakes Server Owners Make
Communication & Payment Rules
Keep Official Business Out of Scattered DMs
For paid work, use a communication system that is logged, organized, and controlled by your server team (e.g., Discord ticket bot, internal website portal).
Why this matters
Private DMs are fragmented, harder to supervise, easier to delete, and much more difficult to review fairly if the deal goes bad. If money is involved, keep the agreement, approvals, and scope changes in one official place.
Never Use PayPal Friends & Family
⚠️ This Should Be A Hard Rule
If you are paying someone for a service, setup, build, plugin work, or configuration, do not send the payment as Friends & Family. It removes important protection and creates unnecessary risk.
Use payment methods appropriate for a real transaction. That usually means:
- ✓ Proper invoices where possible
- ✓ A protected business payment route
- ✓ Written confirmation of what the payment is for
If someone insists on Friends & Family for commissioned work, treat that as a serious red flag. A shortcut that removes your safety net is not really a shortcut.
What Your Agreement Needs
You do not need a giant legal document for every small task, but you do need clear written terms. Define these 10 things before money changes hands:
1. Who is involved
Use the names/handles actually tied to the work and payment.
2. What is being delivered
Be specific. Avoid phrases like "full setup" without explaining it.
3. What is NOT included
E.g., "Does not include custom plugin development or logos."
4. Deadline / Delivery schedule
State expected timelines or milestone dates clearly.
5. Payment amount & schedule
Don't just state the total price. State *when* payment happens.
6. Revision limits
Limit rounds of revision to prevent endless unpaid labor.
7. What counts as complete
Define the acceptance standard and bug-fix period.
8. Ownership & file transfer
State who owns the final work and when ownership transfers.
9. Cancellation terms
Write refund rules before emotions take over.
10. Communication channel
State exactly where official communication happens.
⚡ The Specificity Rule (Scope)
❌ Too Vague
"Need a full prison setup."
✅ Better
"Configure LuckPerms ranks A-Z, rankup commands, sell shop pricing, and tablist. Deliver editable configs."
Milestones & Working With Minors
Use Milestones, Not Blind Trust
Milestones protect both sides. They help owners avoid paying everything before seeing progress, and freelancers avoid finishing a full project only to hear "we changed our mind."
Example Milestone Structure
Working With Minors Requires Caution
Many talented people in Minecraft spaces are under 18. Do not pretend age does not matter. It affects expectations, risk, and payment handling.
- ▸Keep it logged: No casual DMs. Everything stays official.
- ▸Keep it simple: Smaller scoped projects with clear milestones are safer.
- ▸Avoid assumptions: Don't rely on "they said they were 18."
- ▸Adult awareness: For higher-value work, involve a parent or guardian.
- ▸Professional boundaries: No secret side deals. No unofficial pressure.
Watch Out for Red Flags
A good hiring process looks for warning signs before any agreement is signed.
🚩 Red flags from Contractors
- ▸Refuses to define scope clearly.
- ▸Insists everything be handled in DMs.
- ▸Wants full payment up front for a large project.
- ▸Pushes Friends & Family or unsafe payments.
- ▸Cannot show usable examples of past work.
- ▸Keeps changing the price or scope.
🚩 Red flags from Owners
- ▸Gives vague instructions, expects perfect results.
- ▸Adds "small things" after scope is agreed.
- ▸Refuses to use a logged written system.
- ▸Pressures to start before terms are documented.
- ▸Calls everything a "bug" to get free work.
- ▸Disappears for days, demands instant updates.
Bugs vs. Change Requests
This distinction needs to be defined early, or every disagreement becomes personal.
🐛 A Bug Is:
Something that fails to match the agreed work or does not function as promised within the intended setup.
Example:
Rankup command does not work even though rankup setup was included in the scope.
➕ A Change Request Is:
A new feature, redesign, rebalance, or extra task not originally included in the initial scope.
Example:
Owner decides they now want a prestige system added even though it was never in scope.
Dispute Process & Scenarios
Disputes happen. The goal is handling them properly.
If a Contractor Disappears
Don't panic and avoid public callouts unless necessary. Review the agreement, send one clear request for resolution with a deadline, use platform dispute routes, and revoke server permissions immediately.
If the Owner Keeps Changing Scope
Pause and point back to the agreement. Separate included work from new requests, price them separately, and confirm scope changes in writing before continuing work.
Agreement Template & Internal Policy
Copy and paste this template into your ticket system or official project channel before any work begins.
Parties
This agreement is between [Server/Owner Name] and [Contractor Name/Handle].
Project
Contractor agrees to provide the following deliverables:
[List the exact work]
Included Work
[List what is included]
Excluded Work
[List what is not included]
Timeline
Work begins on: [date]
Milestone 1 due: [date]
Final delivery due: [date]
Payment
Total price: [$ amount]
Payment structure: [deposit, milestone amounts, final payment]
Payment method: [business-appropriate payment method]
Revisions
This agreement includes [number] revision rounds related to the agreed scope. Additional changes may require a new quote.
Completion Standard
Work is considered complete when the listed deliverables are provided and function as described in the agreed environment.
Bug Fix Period
Contractor will correct bugs directly related to agreed deliverables reported within [number] days of delivery.
Ownership
Ownership or usage rights transfer as follows:
[State when the owner gains usage rights and whether source files are included]
Cancellation
If either side cancels, the following terms apply:
[State refund and partial work rules]
Communication Channel
All official project communication will take place in:
[project ticket, internal project channel, or approved written system]
Dispute Handling
Any dispute will first be addressed through the official communication channel with written evidence reviewed against this agreement.
Acceptance
Both sides confirm acceptance of these terms in writing before work begins.🛡️ Internal Policy Standard
If you run a serious server, do not improvise this every time. Your server should have an internal rule that states:
- • All paid server work must be documented in an official written system.
- • No official server business should be conducted only through private DMs.
- • Unsafe payment methods for commissioned work are prohibited.
- • Work above a set value must use milestones.
- • Projects involving minors require extra oversight and stricter documentation.
📋 Remember Nothing Else? Read This.
📝
Log Everything
Keep official business in a logged system, not scattered DMs.
🚫
No F&F Payments
Never use Friends & Family for commissioned work.
🎯
Define Scope
Define the scope, milestones, and what bugs are *before* payment.
🛡️
Protect Ownership
Write down ownership transfer times, revisions, and refund terms.