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Change Orders

Quick version: A change order is an additional estimate for extra work on an existing job. It keeps the original estimate intact and tracks the new scope separately.

What is a change order?

A change order is extra work that comes up after the original estimate was accepted. Maybe the homeowner wants to add a bathroom outlet while you're already rewiring, or the plumber finds a cracked pipe behind the wall that wasn't in the original scope.

Instead of editing the original estimate, you create a change order. This keeps everything documented: the original price, the additional work, and the customer's approval for each.

How to create a change order

  1. Go to the Job that needs additional work.
  2. Click New Change Order (or go to Estimates > New Estimate with the change order option).
  3. The customer and job are automatically filled in from the job.
  4. Add line items for the additional work, just like a regular estimate.
  5. Set the tax rate, notes, and terms.
  6. Click Create Change Order.

You can also create a change order from the Estimates page:

  1. Go to Estimates and click New Estimate.
  2. The form detects if you're creating a change order based on the URL parameters.

How change orders are numbered

Change orders follow the job number. For example, if the job number is JOB-0042, the change orders will be:

  • JOB-0042-CO-001
  • JOB-0042-CO-002
  • JOB-0042-CO-003

This makes it easy to see which change orders belong to which job.

How it relates to the original estimate

Change orders are separate from the original estimate. The original estimate keeps its amount and status. Each change order has its own:

  • Line items and pricing
  • Status (draft, sent, accepted, declined)
  • Approval from the customer

On the estimates list, change orders show a CO badge so you can tell them apart from regular estimates.

Sending change orders to customers

Change orders are sent directly by email without the package builder. Since they're typically short and specific, they don't need a cover page or attachments.

  1. Open the change order.
  2. Click Send to Customer.
  3. The customer receives an email and can accept or decline it, just like a regular estimate.

Customer approval for change orders

The customer approves change orders the same way as regular estimates -- they view it online, sign it, and accept. You can also manually approve a change order if the customer agreed by phone or in person.

Tips

  • Always create a change order instead of editing the original estimate. This protects you if there's ever a dispute about what was agreed to.
  • Change orders can also be converted to invoices, just like regular estimates.
  • You can filter the estimates list to show only change orders using the filter buttons at the top.

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