Free Change Order Template for Contractors (PDF and Word)

What's on the template

• Who and where. Contractor: company, phone, email; Customer: name, phone, email; Job name or number; Change order number; Job address; Date; Original quote number; Original quote date.
• The change. Reason for the change; Work added: description, qty, unit price, amount; Work taken out (credits): description, qty, unit price, amount.
• The money. Original contract amount; Earlier signed change orders (+ or −); This change (added minus credits); New contract total.
• The terms. Schedule impact: no change, or the days it adds, and the new completion date; Payment terms: with the next invoice, a deposit before the work starts, or your own terms.
• The signatures. A line on what signing means; Customer: signature, printed name and date; Contractor: signature, printed name and date.

A filled-in example

The hallway job from our home page, written up on the template: Northline Painting for Emily Hall, Hallway repaint, job #1042, 118 Ash Crescent, Edmonton, AB. Change order CO-04, Sep 29, 2026.

Reason for the change: The water stain on the hallway ceiling came back through the first coat. It needs a stain blocker before the color goes on.

Work taken out (credits): none, so the total credited is $0.00.

• Original contract amount: $5,460.00
• Earlier signed change orders (+ or −): $0.00
• This change (added minus credits): + $255.00
• New contract total: $5,715.00

Schedule impact: Adds 1 day to the schedule. Payment terms: Due with the final invoice, when the job is done.

Signed: Emily Hall (customer), Sep 29, 2026, and Marco, Northline Painting (contractor), Sep 29, 2026.

Adding work

Put each new item on its own line: what it is, how many, the price for one, and the amount. Add the lines up for the total added.

Then write the original contract amount, any earlier signed change orders, this change and the new total. The customer sees where the whole job stands, not only this change.

Taking work out (credits)

When the customer drops part of the job, or a material is swapped for a cheaper one, list it under Work taken out as a credit, at the price it had in the original quote. Credits come off the total.

One change order can do both: add the new tile and credit the tile it replaces. The customer sees the difference, not two separate bills.

No-cost changes

Some changes don't move the price: a different paint color, an outlet moved a foot before the drywall goes up, one fixture swapped for another at the same cost.

Write them up anyway, with $0.00 as this change. A signed change at no cost settles what was agreed if anyone remembers it differently later.

Tips

• Get it signed before the work. Once the work is done, the customer has little reason to agree to the price. A signature first means no argument at the final invoice.
• Take photos. A photo of the rot behind the tile, or the stain that came back, explains the reason better than a paragraph. Keep them with the job.
• Keep the original quote. A change order changes the agreement; it does not replace it. Write the original quote number and date on it, and keep the two together.
• Number every one. CO-01, CO-02 and so on, so you, the office and the customer can match each one to the invoice.