Practical examples of service level agreement for IT support freelancers and teams

Real-world examples of service level agreement for IT support in 2024–2025

Let’s skip the theory and go straight into concrete examples of service level agreement for IT support that you can actually reuse. I’ll walk through different scenarios you’re likely to face as a freelancer, small agency, or internal IT lead.

Each of these examples includes:

• Scope of support
• Service hours
• Response and resolution targets
• Exclusions and client responsibilities

You can mix and match wording depending on whether you’re doing ad‑hoc support, a monthly retainer, or fully managed services.

Example of basic IT help desk SLA for small businesses

This is the kind of SLA a solo IT freelancer or small shop might use with a 10–50 person company that needs weekday support but not 24/7 coverage.

Scope of services
“Provider will deliver remote IT support for end-user devices (Windows and macOS workstations, standard office printers, and approved mobile devices), Microsoft 365 and Google Workspace accounts, and basic network connectivity (wired and Wi‑Fi). Services include troubleshooting, configuration changes, and user onboarding/offboarding. Project work (migrations, new system rollouts, and hardware refreshes) is outside the scope of this agreement and will be quoted separately.”

Service hours
“Standard support hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. local client time, excluding public holidays observed in the client’s primary location.”

Incident priority and response targets
Here’s where many people look for examples of service level agreement for IT support and only find vague language. Use something like this instead:

• Priority 1 – Critical (entire office offline, email down for all users, production system unavailable):
  • Response time: within 1 business hour
  • Target resolution or workaround: within 4 business hours
• Priority 2 – High (department-level outage, major performance degradation):
  • Response time: within 2 business hours
  • Target resolution or workaround: within 1 business day
• Priority 3 – Normal (single user issues, non-urgent requests):
  • Response time: within 4 business hours
  • Target resolution or workaround: within 3 business days

Client responsibilities
“Client will submit all support requests via the ticketing system or designated support email address. Phone or chat requests must be followed by a ticket. Client will ensure all supported devices run a currently supported operating system and have active security updates enabled.”

This kind of language is one of the best examples of a simple, clear SLA that sets expectations without burying your client in legalese.

Managed services example of service level agreement for IT support

For managed service providers (MSPs), the SLA usually has to cover both proactive and reactive work. Here’s an example of how that can be framed.

Scope of managed services
“Provider will deliver managed IT services including:

• 24/7 monitoring of servers, critical network devices, and internet connectivity
• Patch management for supported operating systems and standard applications
• Managed endpoint protection on covered devices
• Remote and on-site support for covered systems as defined in Appendix A (Asset Inventory)”

Service availability target
“Provider will use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain 99.5% uptime for monitored servers and network infrastructure during each calendar month, excluding scheduled maintenance and force majeure events. Uptime is measured using provider monitoring tools and defined as the percentage of time that monitored devices respond to checks and provide core services.”

Incident response targets
“Monitoring alerts for covered systems will be triaged 24/7. During standard support hours, response targets are:

• Critical alerts (server down, internet connectivity lost): response within 30 minutes
• High alerts (service degraded, disk space critical): response within 1 hour
• Medium alerts (warning thresholds, non-urgent issues): response within 4 hours

Outside standard hours, critical alerts will be responded to within 60 minutes; all other alerts will be handled on the next business day.”

Service credits example
“Where monthly uptime for covered infrastructure falls below 99.5% due to provider-related causes, client will be eligible for a service credit equal to 5% of the monthly service fee for each full 1% below the uptime target, up to a maximum of 25% of the monthly fee.”

This is one of the more advanced examples of service level agreement for IT support because it combines uptime, monitoring, and financial remedies. If you’re a freelancer, you might skip service credits but keep the uptime language to show you’re serious about reliability.

Real examples of SLA clauses for response and resolution times

Most clients care about one thing: “How fast will you fix my problem?” That’s why examples of response and resolution language are the most useful pieces of any SLA.

Here are real examples of phrases you can adapt:

Response vs. resolution
“Response time is defined as the time between the client submitting a support request through an approved channel and provider acknowledging the request via email, ticket update, or phone. Resolution time is defined as the time between initial response and either restoring normal service or providing a reasonable workaround.”

Sample table in prose
“Priority 1 incidents will receive an initial response within 30 minutes during service hours, with a target resolution within 4 hours. Priority 2 incidents will receive an initial response within 1 hour, with a target resolution within 8 hours. Priority 3 incidents will receive an initial response within 4 hours, with a target resolution within 3 business days. Priority 4 requests (how‑to questions, minor changes) will be addressed on a best-effort basis, typically within 5 business days.”

No guarantee clause
“Response and resolution targets are objectives, not guarantees. Provider will make commercially reasonable efforts to meet these targets and will inform client promptly if an incident is expected to exceed its target resolution time.”

This kind of wording shows up in many of the best examples of IT support SLAs because it protects you from being sued over a missed target while still committing to reasonable performance.

Examples include security and data protection language

In 2024–2025, any serious examples of service level agreement for IT support need at least basic security and data language. Clients are more aware of security risk, and regulators keep tightening expectations.

Consider adding clauses like:

Access control
“Provider staff will access client systems only as required to deliver services under this agreement. Access will be restricted to authorized personnel and will be removed within 24 hours of staff departure or role change.”

Data handling
“Provider will not copy, store, or transfer client data outside of the systems required to deliver services, except for encrypted backups and logs. Any export of client data for troubleshooting will be minimized and deleted within 30 days of issue resolution.”

Incident notification
“In the event of a confirmed security incident affecting client systems managed under this agreement, provider will notify client without undue delay and no later than 48 hours after confirmation. Provider will share available details, short-term containment steps, and an initial remediation plan.”

If you work with regulated industries (healthcare, finance, education), you’ll want to align your SLA language with relevant standards and regulations. For example, the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) publishes widely used cybersecurity guidance at https://csrc.nist.gov, which many IT providers reference when building policies.

Example of SLA for remote-only, freelance IT support

A lot of freelancers now work remotely across time zones. Here’s an example of service level agreement for IT support when you’re not on-site and not 24/7.

Remote support only
“Provider will deliver support remotely using remote access tools, phone, and email. On-site visits are not included in this agreement and may be offered at provider’s discretion under a separate statement of work.”

Time zone and hours
“Standard support hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET). Client acknowledges that support requests submitted outside these hours will be handled on the next business day, except for separately contracted after-hours services.”

After-hours escalation
“Client may request after-hours emergency support via the designated emergency phone number. After-hours support is billed at 1.5x the standard hourly rate, with a 2-hour minimum. Provider does not guarantee availability for after-hours support unless a separate 24/7 support addendum is in place.”

This is a realistic example of how freelancers can protect their personal time while still offering a path for emergencies.

SLA example of ticketing, communication, and reporting

Good IT support is as much about communication as it is about technical skill. Some of the best examples of service level agreement for IT support spell this out clearly.

Ticket submission
“All support requests must be submitted via the ticketing system or support email address. Tickets must include a clear description of the issue, affected user(s), and any relevant error messages or screenshots. Provider may reject or delay handling of requests submitted through other channels.”

Status updates
“For Priority 1 incidents, provider will update the ticket at least every 60 minutes until a workaround or resolution is in place. For Priority 2 incidents, updates will be provided at least every 4 hours during service hours. For all other incidents, updates will be provided upon meaningful progress or at least once per business day when work is ongoing.”

Monthly reporting
“Upon request, provider will supply a monthly summary including number of tickets by priority, average response time, average resolution time, and recurring issues. This report may be used to adjust priorities, update the SLA, or plan project work.”

If you want to ground your metrics in industry norms, look at publicly available IT service management guidance, such as ITIL-aligned materials from organizations like AXELOS (though not a .gov/.edu, it’s widely recognized in IT service circles).

Advanced examples of examples of service level agreement for IT support

As your clients get bigger, they’ll expect more mature SLAs. Here are more advanced examples of clauses that show up in enterprise-style agreements but can be adapted for mid-market clients.

Change management window
“Non-emergency changes to production systems will be performed during an agreed maintenance window, typically between 10:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m. local data center time, to minimize business impact. Provider will give at least 3 business days’ notice for planned maintenance that may cause service disruption.”

Capacity and performance
“Provider will monitor CPU, memory, disk, and network utilization on covered servers and will recommend capacity upgrades when average utilization exceeds 70% over a 30-day period. Client acknowledges that failure to approve recommended upgrades may impact performance and uptime, and related incidents may be excluded from uptime calculations.”

Third-party dependencies
“Service levels do not apply to outages or performance issues caused by third-party providers outside provider’s control, including but not limited to internet service providers, cloud hosting platforms, and SaaS vendors. Provider will assist client in working with third parties but cannot guarantee their performance.”

These advanced examples of service level agreement for IT support help you avoid being blamed for outages caused by, say, Microsoft 365 or AWS, while still committing to reasonable support.

Trends shaping IT support SLAs in 2024–2025

If your SLA still looks like it was written in 2010, it’s going to feel outdated. A few trends you should reflect in your language:

Hybrid and remote work
More users are working from home on consumer-grade networks and devices. Many modern SLAs now clarify what’s supported:

“Provider will support remote users connecting from home or mobile networks, but cannot guarantee performance or availability of third-party internet connections or personal equipment that is not enrolled as a managed device.”

Cloud-first environments
With more services in Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and other SaaS platforms, examples of service level agreement for IT support are shifting from hardware uptime to service integration, identity management, and security configuration.

You might specify:

“Provider will manage client’s Microsoft 365 tenant, including user provisioning, license assignment, basic security policies (MFA, conditional access), and email hygiene configuration. Uptime for Microsoft 365 services is governed by Microsoft’s own SLA and is outside the scope of this agreement.”

Security expectations
Even small clients now ask about MFA, backups, and incident response. While you don’t need to write like a regulator, it’s worth aligning with widely respected guidance. For example, the Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) publishes practical security advice at https://www.cisa.gov that you can use as a reference when designing your services and SLAs.

FAQ: examples of IT support SLA questions clients actually ask

What is a simple example of an IT support SLA clause I can use in a freelance contract?
A straightforward example of an SLA clause is: “Provider will respond to support requests submitted during service hours within 4 business hours and will work to resolve issues as quickly as reasonably possible. Emergency issues that affect all users (such as internet or email outages) will receive priority handling, with a target response time of 1 business hour.” You can tighten or relax those times based on your capacity.

Do I need different examples of service level agreement for IT support for each client?
You don’t need a brand-new document every time, but you should adjust the examples of clauses—especially service hours, response times, and scope—to match each client’s reality. A 10-person marketing agency does not need the same SLA as a 24/7 manufacturing plant.

How detailed should response and resolution targets be?
Detailed enough that both sides can tell when you’re meeting expectations. Most of the best examples of SLAs use 3–4 priority levels, each with a response time and a target resolution or workaround time. More than that, and nobody remembers the difference.

Can I copy examples of examples of service level agreement for IT support from big vendors?
You can study them for structure and ideas, but copying them word-for-word is risky. Large vendors build SLAs around their scale, tooling, and legal risk appetite. Use their documents as inspiration, then adapt. If you want a neutral reference point on contracts and risk, resources from the U.S. Small Business Administration at https://www.sba.gov are a good starting point for understanding small-business contracts and obligations.

What metrics should I track to prove I’m meeting my SLA?
At a minimum: ticket volume, average response time, average resolution time, and uptime for any monitored systems. Even a simple monthly export from your ticketing system can show clients you’re honoring the examples of commitments written into your SLA.

Bottom line: the best examples of service level agreement for IT support are the ones that match how you actually work. Use the examples in this guide as a menu, not a script. Start lean, measure your performance, and tighten the language as your business and your clients’ expectations grow.