Free download
Free Change Order Form for Contractors
Lock down extra work before you do it. This change order form has the language to keep you from working unpaid when the scope grows mid-job. One page, letter size, both parties sign.
Every contractor has done it: customer asks for “one small thing” on a Tuesday, you do it, and by Friday it’s grown into half a day of unpaid work and an argument at invoice time. The change order is what stops that.
PDF · 1 page · Letter size · No signup, no watermark
What’s on the template
- Reference to the original signed contract
- Description of the requested change
- Original contract total + this change + new revised total
- Schedule impact line (extra days added to completion)
- Both-parties-must-sign requirement spelled out in terms
- Date fields for issued, signed, and effective
- Customer + contractor signature lines
- Pairs with any quote — yours or another template
When to use this template
The moment the customer asks for anything outside the signed scope, stop. Pull out the change order form, price the change in front of them, and get it signed. If they won’t sign, you don’t do the work. That’s the rule that protects you.
For tiny changes (5 minutes, no materials) you can absorb without bleeding, fine. But anything that costs you real time, real material, or real schedule — change order, full stop. Customers respect contractors who run a tight ship; they take advantage of contractors who don’t.
How to use it
- 1
Stop work and price it
When the customer asks for something extra, calculate the cost (hours + materials) before agreeing.
- 2
Fill in the form on the spot
Write the change, the new total, and the schedule impact. Hand it to the customer to sign.
- 3
Both parties sign, then proceed
No signature, no extra work. Once signed, the change order is part of the original contract and the new total is what you invoice.
Frequently asked questions
What is a change order form?
+
A change order form is a short document that records a change to a signed contract — usually extra work the customer asked for after the job started. It lists the change, the new price, any added time, and both parties sign it. Once signed, it becomes part of the original contract.
When do I need a change order form?
+
Anytime the customer asks for something outside the original scope. Extra outlets, a bigger fixture, a different material, an added room. Price it, get it signed, then do the work. Never the other way around — verbal agreements on a job site disappear by invoice day.
Is this change order form free?
+
Yes. Download the PDF — no email, no signup, no watermark. Use it on every job that grows.
Do both parties need to sign a change order?
+
Yes. A change order isn't valid unless both the contractor and the customer sign. That's the whole point — it's the customer's written agreement that the extra work is approved at the extra price. Without both signatures, it's a verbal agreement, which holds up to nothing.
What's the difference between a change order form and a change order template?
+
Same document, different names. Some contractors call it a form, some call it a template. This PDF works as both.
Tired of paper? Build it digitally in 60 seconds.
TradeShield saves your business details, line items, and signatures so every document after the first one is faster. Free during beta.
Try TradeShield free