Settlement Agreement and Release
The agreement that ends a dispute: one side pays or performs, the other gives up the claims it could otherwise bring. The release language is the heart of the document.
No account needed to start.
AI-assisted document tools — not legal advice. A starting point you can understand and customize.
What it is
A settlement agreement and release is a contract that resolves a dispute without a court deciding it. One party typically pays money or performs some obligation, and in exchange the other party releases — permanently gives up — the claims it has or could have brought over the subject of the dispute. Because a release is generally final, the sentences describing what is being released, and what is carved out of it, matter more than almost anything else in the document.
When you’d use it
- You are resolving a dispute over payment, performance, damage, or a contract that went wrong.
- A demand letter or a filed claim is on the table and both sides want it closed out.
- You want the payment terms and the release recorded together, in one signed document.
- You need a clear record that the matter is finished and cannot be reopened later.
Key sections & clauses
The parts a settlement agreement and release usually needs to cover. Use them as a checklist — XOsign flags the ones a draft is missing.
Recitals & the dispute
Who the parties are and what the disagreement is about, described in neutral terms.
Settlement consideration
What each side gives — the payment amount, the schedule, and any non-money obligations.
Release of claims
The core clause: which claims are given up, by whom, and against whom.
Claims not released
The carve-outs — what survives the release and can still be pursued.
No admission of liability
A statement that settling is not an admission that anyone did anything wrong.
Confidentiality & non-disparagement
Whether the terms stay private and what each side may say about the other.
Dismissal of pending claims
How any filed case or demand gets withdrawn once the settlement takes effect.
Review, counsel & voluntariness
Confirmation that each side had time to read it, could consult an attorney, and signed freely.
Understand it, translate it, refine it, sign it.
The same four steps behind every XOsign agreement — from the moment you upload or start a draft to the moment it’s signed.
Understand it
XOsign reads the document and explains every clause in plain language, so you know what you're agreeing to before you sign — not after.
Translate it
Read and sign in English or Spanish. XOsign presents the agreement side by side so nobody signs a document they can't fully read.
Refine it
XOsign flags missing, vague, or one-sided terms and suggests clearer language for your consideration — so you can decide what the agreement should say.
Sign it
Send it for legally binding e-signature (ESIGN/UETA) with a tamper-evident audit trail and a trusted timestamp on the signed copy.
Frequently asked questions
What does a release of claims actually do?
Which parts of a settlement agreement are worth the most attention?
Should I have an attorney look at a settlement agreement?
XOsign provides AI-assisted document tools and does not provide legal advice. These templates are starting points you can understand and customize — not a substitute for advice from a qualified attorney. Requirements vary by state and situation.
Start your settlement agreement and release in XOsign.
Understand every clause, translate it for whoever signs, and send it for signature — all in one place. No account needed to start.