Change Order Form Template

What is the change order form template?

Most disputes on a building or remodelling job start with a change that was agreed verbally on site and never written down. A change order fixes that: one document per change, describing the extra or removed work, the reason for it, the price and the effect on the programme, signed by the client before anyone picks up a tool.

This template walks the contractor through the change in four short pages. Cost lines only appear when the change actually has a cost, the schedule questions only open when the completion date moves, and the client's comments field appears when they approve with conditions or reject it. Both the client and the contractor sign on the last page, so the record carries both signatures.

Each submitted change order becomes a PDF in your FileIt vault, with any drawings, photos or supplier quotes attached to the same record. File them in the project's folder and you have a numbered, signed history of every variation when it's time to settle the final account.

Who uses a change order form?

• A homeowner asks for an extra window halfway through a remodel and the contractor needs it priced and approved
• Rotten joists or hidden pipework are found once a floor is opened up
• A client swaps a specified tile or fixture for a different product
• An inspector requires extra work that wasn't in the original scope
• Part of the job is removed and the client should see the credit in writing
• A subcontractor prices a design change for the main contractor to approve

Questions on this change order form

39 questions over 4 pages · includes signature, file upload, conditional questions, multiple pages, consent checkbox.

The change order form, page by page

1 Project & parties

The contractor records the project name, a change order number, the date issued and the original contract or quote reference, then their company, their own name, email and phone, and the client's name, email and the job address. Numbering each change (CO-001, CO-002…) makes the set easy to follow at the end of the job.

2 The change

A radio question records who asked for the change — the client, an architect or designer, the contractor, an unforeseen site condition, or an inspector or code requirement — and a checkboxes question classifies it as additional work, an omission, a substitution, a design change, a hidden condition or a schedule change.

Two required long-text fields describe the change and explain why it's needed. An optional reference links it to an instruction, RFI or drawing, and up to five drawings, photos or supplier quotes can be uploaded.

3 Cost & schedule impact

The contractor chooses how the change is priced: fixed price, time and materials, unit rates, or no cost change. Unless it's no cost, fields open for labour, materials, equipment, subcontractors and an overhead-and-profit percentage, then a required total and whether it adds to or reduces the contract sum. Optional fields show the contract sum before and after.

A yes/no question asks whether the completion date moves. Answering yes asks for the working days added (required), the revised completion date and any schedule notes.

4 Approval

A short note explains that work starts only once the change is signed. The client's decision is approved, approved with comments, or rejected; anything other than a straight approval requires comments or conditions. The approver's name, position and the date follow, then an agreement statement confirming that the scope, sum and date change as described while the rest of the contract stays the same. The client and the contractor both sign.

Make the template yours

• Change the currency on the cost fields to match your contracts
• Rename the cost lines to match how you break down prices, or remove the ones you never use
• Edit the agreement statement to reference your own contract terms
• Give each project its own copy of the form (e.g. "Change order — Smith kitchen") so the PDF titles show which job every change belongs to
• File responses into a folder per project so every change for a job sits together
• Add the client's email to that project's notification list so they receive each signed change order automatically

Tips for a better change order form

• Raise the change order before the extra work starts, not after the invoice goes out
• Describe the change in terms someone who wasn't on site would understand — quantities, locations and materials
• Attach the supplier quote or a marked-up drawing whenever the price depends on it
• Always answer the schedule question, even when the date doesn't move, so there's no argument later
• Keep a running contract sum on each change so the client can see the cumulative effect
• Use "no cost change" for swaps that cost nothing, so the paper trail is still complete

Change order form: frequently asked questions

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Templates are a starting point. Check that the questions and any wording about consent, privacy or terms suit your situation and the rules where you are. Page last reviewed 2026-09-28.