Send a change order

Change orders should take 30 seconds to write and 30 seconds for the customer to approve. Anything longer and the conversation should happen first — change orders aren't the place to renegotiate scope, they're the place to document it after you've agreed verbally.

The single biggest reason small contractors leave money on the table is unbilled change orders. The customer says 'while you're here' on Tuesday, the foreman does the extra work Wednesday, and by Friday everyone has forgotten about it. The job closes out at the original estimate, the contractor eats the cost. Don't be that contractor.

Create it

From the job, click New Change Order. Add a one-line scope description ("Add 4-inch outlet in master closet — additional 2 hours labor + outlet box + 12 ft Romex"), the additional cost (labor + materials with your standard markup), and the schedule impact in days (often 0 for small adds, 1-3 for medium, more for substantial scope changes).

If the change is going to reduce the price (customer cuts scope), enter a negative amount. The change order tracks the same way; the next invoice subtracts instead of adds.

Send for approval

Save the change order, then click Send for approval. The customer gets an email with the change details, an amber "Awaiting approval" banner, and a single Approve button. They tap once. You get notified the moment they sign — usually within minutes, sometimes within hours.

Add a personal note if context helps. "While we had the wall open, we found that the closet outlet you mentioned would be cheaper to do now than after drywall." Customers respond faster to context than to dry change-order language.

Roll into invoicing

Approved change orders appear automatically as line items on the next invoice for that job. Nothing falls through. You can choose to bill them with the next progress invoice, hold them for the final invoice, or send them as their own standalone invoice — your call per change order.

If a customer disputes a change order at invoicing time, you have the timestamp, IP, and electronic signature on the audit trail. The dispute usually evaporates the moment you forward them the email showing they approved it on Tuesday at 2:47pm from their kitchen.

When to file vs. when to talk

• Under $300 and same-day: file immediately, send for approval, do the work after the customer approves. Don't do the work first — that's how disputes happen.
• $300–$2,000: have a 30-second conversation with the customer first ('quick heads-up — adding that closet outlet runs $385 with the wire and the labor — OK to send the formal change order?') then file.
• Over $2,000 or substantial scope change: have the conversation in person if possible. Walk them through what changed and why. Then file the change order. Big surprises in email don't go well even when they're justified.

Common change-order mistakes

• Batching change orders for the end of the job. Customers feel ambushed by a $4,000 batch at closeout and dig in. File each one same-day or next-day.
• Hiding markup in change orders. Customers feel cheated when the same materials marked-up to 35% in the estimate suddenly run 50% in a change order. Use the same markup as the original estimate unless something specific has changed.
• Not filing 'no charge' change orders. If you do extra work as a favor or to keep the customer happy, file the change order at $0 and label it goodwill. Documents the value you gave away, protects you on the warranty side later.