Change Order Template for Contractors (Free Form)
A workable change order format has nine parts: the job and the contract it changes, a change number, a measurable description of the added or removed work, the reason, the price change split into labor and materials, the new contract total, the effect on schedule and payments, a line saying no changed work starts before signing, and dated signatures from both sides. Fit those on one page, get it signed before the work, and most arguments about extras never start. Below: the fields, a copy-ready template, a filled example from a residential plumbing job, and the Excel formulas that do the math for you.
The change order format, field by field
Big commercial projects run multi-page forms with architect sign-offs. A service trade needs far less paper, but every field below earns its place. Leave one out and you give the customer a reason to argue about the invoice.
| Field | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Header | Business name, license number, phone; customer name; job address | Ties the paper to one job and one licensed contractor |
| 2. Reference | Original contract or estimate number and date; change number (CO-1, CO-2) | Numbered changes cannot be mixed up or billed twice |
| 3. Description | What is added, removed or done differently, with lengths, counts and model numbers | “Fix pipes” invites a fight; “replace 18 ft of 3/4 in. galvanized supply with PEX” does not |
| 4. Reason | Hidden condition, code or inspector requirement, customer request, other | Shows whether the change was found or asked for |
| 5. Price change | Labor hours and rate, materials, markup, credit for deleted work | The customer sees arithmetic instead of a lump sum |
| 6. Revised total | Original price, earlier approved changes, this change, new contract price | Keeps a running tab from drifting |
| 7. Schedule and payment | Added days or a new completion date; when the extra amount is due | Plenty of disputes are about time, not money |
| 8. Authorization line | “No work described here will start until both parties sign.” | Puts the order of events in writing |
| 9. Signatures | Customer and contractor signature, printed name, date and time | The signature is the agreement |
The same page doubles as a change order request form. When a customer wants a price before deciding, fill in fields 1 to 7, write “Request, not yet approved” across the top and send it. It becomes the change order when it comes back signed.
Copy-ready template
Paste this into Word or Google Docs, add your letterhead and save it as your master copy. Every bracket is a blank you fill on site. It works well as a change order template in Word because it is plain text with no form fields that break when the file is opened on a phone.
CHANGE ORDER No. [CO-__]
Contractor: [Business name], License No. [____], Phone [____]
Customer: [Name] | Job address: [____]
Changes contract/estimate No. [____] dated [____]. Original price: $[____]
Description of change: [Exactly what is added, removed or changed, with quantities, sizes and model numbers]
Reason: [ ] Hidden condition found [ ] Code or inspector requirement [ ] Customer request [ ] Other: [____]
Labor: [__] hours at $[__] per hour = $[____]
Materials and equipment: $[____] | Markup on materials: $[____]
Credit for work removed: -$[____]
Total of this change order: $[____] (add / deduct)
Contract price before this change: $[____] | New contract price: $[____]
Schedule: [No change / adds __ working days / new completion date ____]
Payment: The amount of this change is due [on completion / with the next progress payment / on signing].
No work described in this change order will begin until both parties have signed it. All other terms of the original contract remain in effect.
Customer signature: __________ Printed name: __________ Date and time: __________
Contractor signature: __________ Printed name: __________ Date and time: __________
Do not skip the reason checkboxes. If a job ends in a dispute, a stack of orders marked “customer request” tells a very different story from a stack marked “hidden condition.”
A filled example: the water heater swap that grew
A plumbing shop signs a $2,850 contract to replace a 50-gallon gas water heater in a 1960s house. With the old tank out, the tech finds the hot and cold supply lines are corroded galvanized pipe that will not take a new connection, and the town inspector wants a thermal expansion tank on this system. While the water is off, the homeowner also asks for a new ball valve at the main. The original contract included a new drain pan, but the existing pan is sound and the homeowner would rather keep it.
Description as written on CO-1: Replace 18 ft of 3/4 in. galvanized hot and cold supply with PEX from the water heater to the main trunk; install one 2-gallon thermal expansion tank on the cold inlet; replace main shutoff with a 3/4 in. full-port ball valve; delete new drain pan from original scope.
| Line | Amount |
|---|---|
| Labor: 3.5 hours at $125 | $437.50 |
| PEX, fittings and ball valve | $164.00 |
| Expansion tank | $68.00 |
| Markup on materials: 20% of $232.00 | $46.40 |
| Credit: drain pan removed from scope | -$45.00 |
| Total of CO-1 | $670.90 |
| Contract price before CO-1 | $2,850.00 |
| New contract price | $3,520.90 |
Schedule line: completion moves from Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday morning, because the inspection has to be rebooked. Payment line: due on completion with the original balance.
Two things make this order easy to collect. The description names lengths and parts, so nobody can say later that “fix the pipes” meant something else. And the credit shows the homeowner you subtract as readily as you add, which makes the total much easier to sign. When you price changes the same way you price the original job, as laid out in the guide to writing an estimate customers can follow, the numbers on the form never surprise anyone.
Building the Excel version
A spreadsheet earns its keep on jobs with several changes, because it carries the running contract total for you. You do not need to hunt for a free change order template in Excel; build two tabs in about ten minutes.
On the first tab, the form, use rows 5 to 12 for line items with these columns: A Item, B Type (type Labor, Material or Credit), C Quantity, D Unit price, E Extended. Then:
- In E5 enter =C5*D5 and fill down to E12. Enter credits with a negative unit price.
- E13, labor: =SUMIF(B5:B12,”Labor”,E5:E12)
- E14, materials: =SUMIF(B5:B12,”Material”,E5:E12)
- B15 holds your markup rate (for example 20%); E15, markup: =E14*B15
- E16, credits: =SUMIF(B5:B12,”Credit”,E5:E12)
- E17, total of this change: =E13+E14+E15+E16
- E19 holds the contract price before this change; E20, new contract price: =E19+E17
On the second tab, the log, keep one row per change: A Change number, B Date, C Description, D Amount, E Signed (Y or N), F Running contract price. Put the original contract price in H1, then in F2 enter =$H$1+IF(E2=”Y”,D2,0) and in F3 enter =F2+IF(E3=”Y”,D3,0), filling down. The IF keeps unsigned requests out of the total, which is exactly how the money should work.
Mistakes that make a change hard to collect
- A verbal yes in the hallway. The homeowner who said “sure, go ahead” may remember a smaller number. Get the signature first, then pick up the pipe cutter.
- “Time and materials, price to follow.” If you cannot price the change yet, write your hourly rate and a not-to-exceed amount, and get that signed.
- Signing after the work is done. An order signed afterward reads like a bill the customer never agreed to.
- No schedule line. A change that adds two days and says nothing about time invites a complaint that you were late.
- The wrong signer. A tenant, a neighbor or the owner’s adult son may not have authority. Get the person who signed the original contract.
- Several changes on one form. If the customer accepts one item and rejects another, you are back to arguing. One change, one form.
At the end of the job, carry each signed order onto the final invoice as its own line with its number. The contractor invoice samples show that layout, and the companion piece on what a change order is and when you need one covers the legal side in more depth.
What some states require on the form
Many states leave the format to your contract, but some spell it out for home improvement work. Two examples worth reading if you work there:
- California. The Contractors State License Board’s guide, Contracting for Success, says extra work and change orders become part of a home improvement contract once they are in writing and signed by both parties before the covered work starts. The order must describe the scope of the change, the amount added or subtracted, and the effect on progress payments or the completion date. The guide also describes a shorter “service and repair” contract for small jobs the customer called you about, with a $750 ceiling and other conditions; confirm the current threshold with the board before relying on it.
- New Jersey. The home improvement practices rule, N.J.A.C. 13:45A-16.2, requires a written contract for home improvements over $500, and says all changes to its terms and conditions must be in writing and signed by all parties.
The nine-field layout above covers both. For any other state, look up your contractor licensing board’s contract requirements, because a missing required notice can make a change harder to enforce. This is general information, not legal advice; for a specific contract, ask a lawyer licensed in your state.
FAQ
Does a change order need to be notarized?
The California and New Jersey requirements above call for writing and signatures, not a notary. A lender, a commercial owner or your own contract may ask for more, so check the original agreement. For a typical residential service job, a dated signature from each side is the core of the document.
Can a text message count as a change order?
A text that says “ok, go ahead” is evidence that the customer agreed to something, but it rarely shows the scope, price and schedule in one place. Send the form as a PDF or through an e-signature app and have it signed on a phone or tablet instead. Whether an electronic signature meets your state’s home improvement rules is worth confirming with your licensing board.
How should I price the markup on a change order?
Use the same overhead and profit you build into original estimates, and state in the original contract how changes will be priced, for example your hourly rate plus a stated percentage on materials. Then the number on each change order is a calculation the customer already agreed to, not a fresh negotiation.
What if the customer will not sign but wants the work?
Do not do the work. Explain that the change is outside the signed scope and that you need the price approved first, then leave the form with them. If the issue is a safety hazard you found, document it in writing with photos, make the area safe, and let the customer decide on the repair.
Should every change order get its own number?
Yes. Numbering CO-1, CO-2 and so on lets the invoice, the log and the customer’s copy point to the same document. It also makes a deleted or rejected request easy to track, since the gap in numbers shows up in the log.
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