Free Joint Venture Agreement

A joint venture agreement works best when two or more parties want to work together on a specific project, not an ongoing business. It’s commonly used in situations like these:

• A short-term deal or clearly defined project
• Launching something new or testing a market
• One party brings funding, while the other brings expertise or industry access
• Entering a foreign market with support from a local partner

Because a joint venture is built around a specific goal, it typically isn’t permanent. Once the project ends, the arrangement often ends too. Legal Templates can help you put the right agreement in place for that project before work begins. If the plan involves a long-term working relationship, a partnership may be a better fit. You can also review our guide to the pros and cons of a partnership or start with our partnership agreement.

Profits and ownership in a joint venture depend on what the agreement includes. There’s no automatic split that applies to every arrangement. Instead, the parties decide how profits, losses, and ownership percentages will be handled before the project begins.

Those shares don’t have to be equal. Some joint ventures use a 50/50 split when both sides contribute similar resources. Others use uneven percentages when one party provides more cash, labour, assets, or specialized know-how. The structure usually reflects the value each party brings to the venture.

Ownership often follows that same logic. In some cases, both parties hold equal ownership. In others, ownership is weighted based on funding, effort, or expertise. The agreement should also explain who owns any work, intellectual property, or assets created during the project.

When ownership terms are missing or loosely written, disagreements often appear later. Setting them out clearly at the start helps keep everyone on the same page. To track income and expenses during the project, you can also use our profit and loss statement.

A joint venture agreement should focus on how the parties will work together for one defined project. These steps help shape the arrangement from the start:

1. Identify the joint venturers and confirm how many parties are involved
2. Name the joint venture, so it’s clearly referenced throughout the agreement
3. List the venture’s address for formal JV notices and legal communication
4. Define the joint venture’s purpose, keeping it tied to a specific project or activity
5. Limit the scope so the venture does not extend beyond that purpose
6. Set how profits and losses will be shared, based on each party’s contribution
7. Choose the JV management structure, including who oversees operations
8. State who has the authority to act or sign on behalf of the joint venture
9. Decide when the joint venture ends, such as project completion or a fixed term
10. Define confidentiality obligations, including how long they continue after termination
11. Explain how JV disputes will be resolved
12. Address transfer rights, including what happens after a merger or sale
13. Include any JV-specific operating rules or restrictions
14. Set the effective date that officially starts the joint venture

Writing these terms into the agreement early helps keep the joint venture focused on its intended purpose. It explains who makes decisions, how ownership works, and what happens when the project ends.

Below are examples of what a completed joint venture agreement can look like. These examples show how the template may be used in real-world scenarios.

State of California

JOINT VENTURE AGREEMENT

This Joint Venture Agreement (this “Agreement”) is entered into as of the 15th day of March, 2026 (the “Effective Date”) by and between:

• • Pacific Development Group LLC, located at 455 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105
  • West Coast Capital Partners LLC, located at 2100 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90026

1. 1. Formation.
      The parties have indicated an interest in forming and establishing a joint venture for the exclusive purpose of acquiring, developing, and selling residential real estate property.

The Joint Venture shall do business under the name Bayview Residential JV, and shall have its principal office and place of business at 455 Market Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, or such other place(s) as shall be designated from time to time.

1. 1. Contributions.
      For the purpose of the Joint Venture, the parties shall make capital contributions, in cash or property, in the following amounts or values:

• • Pacific Development Group LLC (Check all that apply)
    ☑ Cash in the amount of $500,000
    ☐ Property or other contribution in the value of $________
  • West Coast Capital Partners LLC (Check all that apply)
    ☑ Cash in the amount of $750,000
    ☐ Property or other contribution in the value of $________

If the Joint Venture requires additional funds, the parties shall make additional contributions as mutually agreed upon by the parties.

1. 1. Ownership.
      The parties shall own interest in the Joint Venture in the following percentages:

• • Pacific Development Group LLC: 40%
  • West Coast Capital Partners LLC: 60%

The next example shows how the agreement might be used for a business or product-based venture.

State of New York

JOINT VENTURE AGREEMENT

This Joint Venture Agreement (this “Agreement”) is entered into as of the 1st day of June, 2026 (the “Effective Date”) by and between:

• • Northshore Software Inc., located at 88 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016
  • BrightPath Marketing LLC, located at 320 Broadway, New York, NY 10007

1. 1. Formation.
      The parties have indicated an interest in forming and establishing a joint venture for the exclusive purpose of developing, marketing, and launching a mobile productivity application.

The Joint Venture shall do business under the name TaskFlow JV, and shall have its principal office and place of business at 88 Madison Avenue, New York, NY 10016, or such other place(s) as shall be designated from time to time.

1. 1. Contributions.
      For the purpose of the Joint Venture, the parties shall make capital contributions, in cash or property, in the following amounts or values:

• • Northshore Software Inc. (Check all that apply)
    ☐ Cash in the amount of $________
    ☑ Property or other contribution in the value of $300,000
    [Software codebase, development services, and technical support]
  • BrightPath Marketing LLC (Check all that apply)
    ☑ Cash in the amount of $200,000
    ☐ Property or other contribution in the value of $________

If the Joint Venture requires additional funds, the parties shall make additional contributions as mutually agreed upon by the parties.

1. 1. Ownership.
      The parties shall own interest in the Joint Venture in the following percentages:

• • Northshore Software Inc.: 55%
  • BrightPath Marketing LLC: 45%

Take a look at a joint venture agreement sample below. You can customize it and download the template in Word or PDF.

When putting a joint venture agreement together, these are some of the most common missteps to watch for:

• Not clearly stating who makes decisions or who can sign on behalf of the venture
• Being vague about contributions, including when they’re due or how their value is calculated
• Overlooking liability risks, especially when the JV doesn’t operate as a separate legal entity
• Missing exclusivity or non-compete limits that can quietly restrict outside work
• Leaving ownership or profit terms open-ended
• Skipping exit terms, which makes it harder to wrap things up when the project ends
• Treating the JV like a partnership, even though the structure and expectations are different

Most problems in joint ventures don’t start with the project itself. They start with gaps in the agreement that only surface once real decisions need to be made.

In most cases, a joint venture agreement itself doesn’t need to be registered. The agreement usually works as a private contract between the parties, rather than something filed with a government office.

Registration depends on how the joint venture is set up. If the parties create a new legal entity, such as an LLC or corporation, that entity must be registered like any other business. The joint venture agreement then explains how the parties will manage and operate it.

If no separate entity is formed and the venture exists only as a contract, registration is often not required. The agreement still governs how the project runs, but there’s no new business to file with the state. Even in those cases, tax obligations still apply. How income is reported and taxed depends on the venture’s structure and how profits and losses are shared.