How contract signing works
Standard and custom agreements are signed online via PandaDoc — your signatory signs first, then the contractor, with email links and reminders; once everyone signs, the contract becomes Active. An uploaded "own agreement" is already signed, so it’s a quick accept-and-confirm instead.
The Review contract step is where you preview the contract and send it for signature. How signing works depends on the agreement type you chose.
Review the contract
On Review contract you can:
- Preview the PDF before sending.
- Check the Signatories — your business signs first, then the contractor.
- Add anyone who should get a copy under Emails to notify.
Standard or custom agreement — signed via PandaDoc
For a standard Flamingo or custom template agreement, signing runs through our e-signature partner, PandaDoc.
- Click Send for signing, review the people in Review Contract Recipients, then Send Contract. The contract moves to Pending signature.
- Your signatory signs first. They get an email — "Action required: sign employment contract" — with a signing link. The contractor gets a heads-up that a contract is on its way.
- Then the contractor signs. Once your side is done, they’re emailed their signing link. Tick Automatically invite contractor to send their onboarding invite as soon as the earlier signatories finish.
- Reminders — if a signature is outstanding, use Send reminder or Resend invitation.
When the document is completed
Once everyone has signed, the contract is fully executed: it becomes Active (or Upcoming if the start date is in the future), and a "Contract fully signed" email goes to the contract creator, the signatories, and anyone on the notify list. The contractor can now be onboarded and paid.
If a signatory declines or the document expires, the contract moves to Declined or Expired and your admins are notified so you can resend.
Editing a critical field resets the contract
If you change a contract-critical field — such as name, email, position, or compensation — after the contract has been generated, the existing contract is voided and a new one is generated that must be re-signed. Any signatures already collected are reset. You’ll be warned first:
The following fields have been modified. Saving these changes will void the existing contract and generate a new one that must be re-signed.
So make these changes before sending where you can — editing them afterwards restarts signing.
Regenerate a contract
If a contract was declined, expired, or is still pending signature, you can issue a fresh document with Regenerate Contract from the contract’s actions ("Select the contract you want to regenerate"). This creates a new contract to send for signing.
Uploaded ("your own") agreement — acceptance, not signing
If you chose Use your own agreement, the contract is already signed, so there’s nothing to send through PandaDoc — the Review contract step is skipped. Instead it’s a quick acceptance:
- You Confirm signed on your side.
- The contractor accepts the contract from their portal.
Once both confirm, the contract becomes Active (or Upcoming). No signing emails or links are sent for uploaded agreements.
Note: Standard and custom agreements are signed online via PandaDoc with email links and reminders. An uploaded "own agreement" is already signed — it’s just confirmed and accepted in-app.
Last updated: Jun 2026