Hiring another independent professional to perform part of the work you were contracted to deliver, while you stay responsible to the client for the result.
Subcontracting is delegating a slice of your project to someone else while keeping your name on the whole thing. You land a website build, hand the copywriting to a subcontractor, and deliver it all as one package. The client’s contract is with you; your contract with the subcontractor is separate.
For sellers, subcontracting is how you take on bigger work than you can do alone and how you grow without hiring employees. The risks are yours, though: you’re on the hook to the client if the subcontractor misses a deadline or delivers badly, and you owe them regardless of whether the client has paid you. Vet carefully and put terms in writing.
For buyers, ask up front whether your freelancer subcontracts. It’s not a red flag — plenty of great work is assembled this way — but you’ll want to know who’s actually doing it, who owns the output, and who to hold accountable.
Two clauses keep it clean: an NDA so your subcontractor is bound by the same confidentiality you promised, and a work-for-hire assignment so ownership flows through to the client. When you’re ready, learn how to hire your first subcontractor without losing money.