personal services

Personal services are services that depend on the unique skills, judgment, or abilities of a particular individual; and therefore cannot be readily performed by a substitute. Examples include services provided by actors, musicians, athletes, and other professionals whose performance is closely tied to their personal talents.

Contracts for personal services are generally not subject to specific performance. Typically, courts will not compel an individual to perform such services and will rarely enforce exclusivity provisions by injunction if doing so would effectively force performance. This limitation reflects concerns about personal autonomy, involuntary servitude, the difficulty of supervising performance, and the undesirability of compelling ongoing personal relationships between parties.

[Last reviewed in April of 2026 by the Wex Definitions Team]

Wex