A genealogy research proposal should sell a defined investigation: one question, an agreed time budget, permitted expenses and a report of what the evidence supports. Do not sell a guaranteed ancestor, a fixed number of generations or a successful record search. Use the client-facing template below before you take payment for a research commission.
This is for independent genealogists turning an enquiry into a bounded paid project. It is an editable offer, not a complete legal contract or a professional accreditation.
Copy this research proposal
Download the editable proposal and acceptance email. Replace the brackets and remove options that do not apply.
Researcher: [business name, contact and required business details]
Client: [name and contact]
Question: [one specific relationship, identity, date or place to investigate]
Starting information: [known names, approximate dates, locations and sources already supplied]
Work included: [records and repositories to search, analysis to perform and reporting format]
Research budget: [hours] at [rate and currency], or [fixed price for the defined block]. This includes [preparation, searches, analysis and report-writing].
Expenses: [included allowance or separate cap]. I will ask for written approval before spending above [amount] or ordering [restricted categories].
You receive: [research log, source references, permitted record copies and written conclusions, including unresolved questions].
Not included: [DNA analysis, travel, translation, printed book, additional family branches or other excluded work].
Timing: [expected start and delivery window after payment and receipt of the agreed starting material]. Archive closures or unavailable records will be reported; a revised scope or timing requires agreement.
Research limit: When the agreed hours or expense cap is reached, I stop and report the work completed. Any further block needs a new written agreement.
Uncertain or negative findings: Payment covers the agreed investigation and report. A missing record or an unresolved relationship is a possible result. I will distinguish evidence, interpretation and unanswered questions.
Price and payment: [total, currency, applicable tax treatment, payment schedule and verified payment link]. [State the agreed treatment of unused time, cancellations and refunds, consistent with applicable rules.]
Information handling: [secure submission route, permitted use, access and retention approach]. Please do not send DNA data or living relatives' sensitive documents unless we have specifically agreed a suitable process.
Acceptance: Please confirm proposal [reference], the research question, price, expense limit and timing by [date]. Work begins under the agreed payment and intake conditions.
Do not treat a checkout receipt as evidence that a client accepted additional terms they never saw. Put the proposal where they can review and retain it before paying.
Turn a broad family-history request into one sale
“I want my whole family tree” is not a bounded commission. A clearer starting question might be: “Investigate whether the person recorded in [place] in [year] is the same person named in [later record].” Use the customer's actual records; these placeholders are not a historical claim.
Here is a hypothetical four-hour block, not a market-rate recommendation or a completed project:
| Work within the block | Time allowance |
|---|---|
| Review supplied evidence and refine the question | 30 minutes |
| Search the agreed record sets | 120 minutes |
| Compare identities and document conflicts | 45 minutes |
| Prepare source references and findings report | 45 minutes |
| Total paid research and reporting time | 240 minutes |
At an illustrative €45 per hour, four hours is €180 before any applicable tax and approved external expenses. If a record order costs €18 and the agreed allowance is €10, request approval for the additional €8 before placing the order. Do not silently turn an allowance into an unlimited expense commitment.
Agree what happens when the evidence stops
| What you encounter | What the client should receive |
|---|---|
| The proposed relationship is supported | Sources, reasoning and any remaining limitations |
| Two plausible people share a name | Both candidates and the unresolved distinction |
| A relevant register is unavailable | Search log, limitation and possible next step |
| The time limit is reached | Completed work and a separately priced continuation option |
This makes an honest inconclusive report a deliverable rather than a surprise. A refund or unused-time policy still follows your actual agreement and applicable obligations; the template does not determine legal rights.
Collect enough information without collecting everything
Ask for the specific goal, known dates and places, prior research and source references. Anderson CoGen's intake form illustrates the importance of a precise short-term goal and existing family information. Your offer should then explain what you will do with that starting material.
Keep document transfer separate from basic checkout questions when it needs a secure channel. Do not put living relatives' identifiers into public product descriptions. If the enquiry involves genetic genealogy, adoption, contested identity or specialised legal work, confirm your competence and a suitable agreement before offering it.
Move the accepted offer to a paid service
PayRequest's service-selling workflow lets you publish a service, collect client requirements and manage delivery. Create an offer for the agreed research block, state the limits clearly and use basic intake questions for the proposal reference and research goal. Your own research tools and secure document process remain necessary.
Connect a supported payment provider and check availability for your business and country. Begin only after the agreed payment is confirmed and the intake is complete; a paid order does not prove the research is finished. Deliver the report through the agreed channel and retain the approval record.
Check current plans and fees for your chosen product route. Free has a 2% standard payment fee; Premium is €5/month and Business €20/month, with 0% standard platform fees while paid access is active. Provider fees and commission-payment exceptions are separate. A custom research commission may use a different fee route, so do not assume a paid plan removes every charge.
Publish one clear research offer and share it with the client whose question you have scoped. If you need signed terms, research accreditation or repository access, arrange those separately; payment software does not supply them.
Editorial method: prepared with AI assistance and reviewed against current product and pricing sources on 7 November 2026. The proposal, decision table and time budget are original illustrative assets. No genealogy finding, paid commission or customer outcome is claimed. The hero is an AI-generated conceptual illustration, not a research record, stitched sample or payment screenshot.
