Employment contract for an account manager

An account manager is the person the client speaks to, which makes the relationship the employer's most exposed asset when the account manager leaves. The contract has to record that the accounts belong to the employer, set the targets and commission the role is paid on, protect client information, contain a non-solicitation and non-dealing clause drafted at a width a court will enforce, provide for garden leave and a handover, and limit the authority the account manager has to vary pricing and terms. Drafting for the employer, I deliver the contract in five working days for a fixed £595, written so that it can be reused for everyone in the grade.

Who this is for

Agencies, professional services firms, SaaS and technology companies, distributors and any business in England and Wales whose client relationships are managed by account managers.

What matters in an account manager's contract

The accounts, the relationship and whose it is

The contract should state that the clients, the accounts and the relationships are the employer's, that the employee manages them on the employer's behalf, that client contact details and correspondence belong to the employer and are held in its systems rather than on personal phones and accounts, and that the employer may reallocate accounts; the clause does not stop a client choosing to follow a departing account manager, but it establishes whose goodwill the covenants protect, which is what makes the covenants enforceable.

Targets, commission and account growth

The contract should state the base salary, the commission or bonus plan for account retention and growth and whether it is contractual or discretionary, when commission is earned (on renewal, on invoice or on payment) and paid, the position on leaving, and the employer's right to vary the plan for future periods on notice; commission earned is wages under section 13 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 and cannot be withheld, clawback needs written consent, and holiday pay must include commission under the Working Time Regulations 1998 as amended, which the plan should reflect.

Confidentiality and client information

The contract should define the confidential information the role holds (client lists, contacts, pricing, contract terms, renewal dates, the client's own confidential information shared under the employer's contracts), prohibit its use and disclosure during and after employment, require the employee to keep client data in the employer's systems under the UK GDPR, and prohibit copying or exporting it; the account manager who downloads the client list before resigning is the case these clauses are drafted for.

Non-solicitation, non-dealing and the period that holds

A non-solicitation clause stops the employee approaching the employer's clients after leaving; a non-dealing clause stops the employee acting for them even if the client approaches, which is the clause that matters for an account manager because clients follow without being asked; both should be limited to clients and prospects the employee dealt with in a stated final period of employment, for a period that reflects how long it takes the employer to re-establish the relationship, and drafted as separate clauses so that one failing does not take the other, with a non-solicitation of staff alongside; a court enforces covenants that protect the employer's connection with its clients and strikes out covenants that merely prevent competition.

Garden leave, notice and the handover of accounts

The contract should set a notice period long enough to re-establish the client relationship with a successor, contain a garden leave clause allowing the employer to keep the employee away from clients and systems during notice while paying them, provide for the garden leave period to be set off against the post-termination covenants, and require a handover of accounts, pipeline and client knowledge in a form the employer specifies before the employee leaves; garden leave is the employer's most reliable protection, and it exists only if the contract provides it.

Authority, pricing and the particulars

The contract should limit the employee's authority to vary prices, terms, service levels or credit without approval and to commit the employer to client contracts outside its standard terms, supply the written particulars under section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 from day one, set probation and notice with section 86 as the floor, and contain the usual terms on hours, holiday, sick pay, pension auto-enrolment under the Pensions Act 2008, the handbook, including the disciplinary and grievance procedures, with the covenants reviewed if the employee is promoted into a role with more client contact, because a covenant that was right at the start may not fit the role five years later.

What it costs

Employment contract, £595. One template you can reuse for a grade of staff. Five working days.

Staff handbook and core policies, £995. Five working days.

Buying online forms the engagement on payment. The scope is what the employment contracts and handbooks page describes, you accept the Terms of Service at checkout, and I email you within four working hours to get started. If you would rather ask something first, email me.

What you get

• A bespoke contract drafted for how you employ people
• Restrictive covenants drafted at a scope a court will uphold
• Confidentiality and intellectual property provisions that put ownership where it belongs
• The statutory particulars, so the document does the job section 1 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 requires it to do
• Flexibility clauses where you genuinely need them, drafted to survive challenge
• Core policies: disciplinary, grievance, sickness absence, equal opportunities, data protection and, increasingly, AI use
• One round of amendments

What is not included

• Acting for employees
• Employment tribunal representation
• Payroll, pensions auto-enrolment and tax
• Immigration and sponsor licence work
• Day to day HR handling, disciplinaries, grievances and redundancy processes

Questions I am often asked

A client has told our departing account manager they want to move with her. Can we stop that?

A non-dealing clause stops the account manager acting for the client for the restricted period even if the client asks, which is why the contract contains one alongside the non-solicitation. The client's own freedom to go elsewhere is not restricted.

How long can the covenants last?

As long as the employer needs to re-establish the relationship with a successor, which for most account managers is months rather than a year. The contract sets a period a court will enforce rather than one it will strike out.

Can we put an account manager on garden leave when they resign?

If the contract contains a garden leave clause, yes, with pay and benefits continuing and the employee kept away from clients. The contract contains it and sets the period off against the covenants.

Related guidance and services

• Employment contracts and handbooks, £595, the service this page describes
• Consultancy and contractor agreements, £595
• Settlement agreements for employers, £795
• Employment contract for a business development manager
• Employment contract with garden leave

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: October 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.