Free template · Trades
Change order template
Short answer
A change order is a short signed document that changes an existing contract: it records what work is added, removed or altered, why, how much it adds or takes off the price, and how it moves the completion date. This template is free to fill in and download as a PDF, and you can send it for e-signature in Sign PDF with the Client's and Contractor's boxes placed for you.
Updated 25 October 2026
What's in this change order
The full text. Words in brackets are filled in from the form above.
- 1. Reference. Change order [Change order number] for the project [Project], under the contract between [Client name] (the Client) and [Contractor name] (the Contractor) dated [Original contract date] (the Contract).
- 2. Change to the work. The work under the Contract is changed as follows: [Description of change].
- 3. Reason. Reason for the change: [Reason for change].
- 4. Price adjustment. The Contract price changes by [Cost change]. This amount covers all labour, materials, equipment and overheads for the change, and the Contractor will make no further claim for it.
- 5. New contract total. Including this and all earlier change orders, the Contract price is now [New contract total].
- 6. Time. Effect on the programme: [Time change]. The completion date is now [New completion date].
- 7. Payment. The amount of this change will be invoiced with the next stage payment under the Contract, or on completion if no stage payments remain, on the Contract's payment terms.
- 8. Start of changed work. The Contractor will not start the changed work until both parties have signed this change order.
- 9. Rest of the Contract. All other terms of the Contract remain unchanged and apply to the changed work. If this change order conflicts with the Contract, this change order applies to the changed work only.
- 10. Governing law. This change order is governed by the laws of [Governing law], the same as the Contract unless the Contract says otherwise.
- Signed by: the Client, the Contractor, each with a signature, printed name and date.
When to use a change order
Use one every time the job changes after the contract is signed: the client wants a different tile, the electrician finds old wiring behind a wall, a website needs an extra page, a landscape plan grows a patio. Each change gets its own number, so the paper trail matches the work.
Get it signed before the extra work starts. A change agreed by text and argued about at the final invoice is where most payment disputes begin.
What each field does
Change order templates in construction and project work share a common set of fields. This one keeps them on a single page.
- Reference: the project, the original contract date and the change order number.
- Description and reason: what changes and why, in enough detail that someone else could price it.
- Cost change: the amount added or taken off, and the new contract total, so nobody has to add up old change orders.
- Time change: working days added or removed and the new completion date.
- Everything else unchanged: the original contract still governs.
How to adapt it
If a change removes work, enter the cost change as a negative amount, for example '-$600'. For larger projects with an architect or engineer, add their approval as a third signer. Attach drawings or photos if they help explain the change.
This template is a starting point, not legal advice. Building contracts sometimes set their own procedure for variations; if yours does, follow it, and have a lawyer check high-value or disputed changes.
Getting the change order signed
Fill in the boxes above and download the change order as a PDF, free and with no account. To get it signed, send it from Sign PDF: the signature, name and date boxes for the Client and the Contractor are already placed and labelled, so you only add each signer's email.
Each signer opens an email link, confirms a six-digit code sent to their inbox and signs in the browser on a phone or laptop, with no app and no account. When the last person signs, the boxes are written into the PDF, a certificate of completion is added at the end, and the file is sealed with a digital signature and a timestamp so any later change shows.
Clients can sign from site on a phone, so work need not wait for paper. The Full plan at $10 a month lets you keep this as a template and send change orders without a monthly limit.
Questions people ask
Does a change order need both signatures?
Yes. A change order binds both sides only when both have agreed it. Do not start the changed work until it is signed.
Can a change order reduce the price?
Yes. Enter a negative amount in the cost change box and the reduced total in the new total box.
What is the difference between a change order and a new contract?
A change order alters one part of an existing contract and leaves the rest in force. A new contract replaces the terms altogether.
Upload a document and watch the boxes land
See every signature, initial and date box placed before you sign up. Sending starts at $5 a month, monthly, cancel any time.
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