Free work order template

How to fill it in

A work order is mostly a form, but the description and the cost are what everyone relies on later, so be exact about both.

• Header: assign a work order number, set the date, and enter the client, the service location, and who requested the job.
• Scope: describe the work fully in the description, since anything not written there needs a change order.
• Labor and materials: list the assigned technician, the estimated hours and rate, and the parts and materials with prices.
• Cost: total the labor, materials, and tax, and mark whether the total is an estimate or a fixed price.
• Terms: set the deposit, the balance timing, and the payment terms.
• Sign: the client authorizes the work and the contractor accepts it, then use the completion sign-off when the job is done.

Work order vs. purchase order

This is the comparison people most often ask about, and the line is clean once you see it. A purchase order buys something: it is how a buyer commits to acquire goods or services from an outside supplier, so it is about procurement and spend. A work order authorizes something to be done: it directs labor and execution, telling a technician or contractor what job to perform, where, and how completion will be checked. Put simply, a purchase order acquires, and a work order executes. The two often work together. If a repair needs a new part, the work order defines the repair and a purchase order procures the part, and the work order can reference the purchase order number so the paperwork ties out. If you take only one distinction away: use a purchase order to buy, and a work order to get work done.

Work order vs. invoice, work request, and service agreement

A work order has a few close relatives, and knowing the order they come in keeps your records straight. A work request comes first: it is the raw ask, someone reporting that something is broken or that they need a job done. A manager reviews and approves the request, which turns it into an authorized work order. A service agreement, where there is one, is the overarching contract that sets the rates and terms, and individual work orders are the specific jobs carried out under it, sometimes generated automatically for recurring service. The invoice comes last: once the work is complete, the invoice bills for it, itemizing the actual labor, materials, and final cost, which is why the completed work order is what the invoice is built from. So the flow runs request, then work order, then the work, then invoice, all under a service agreement if one is in place.

Types of work order

Work orders come in a few common types, and naming the right one helps everyone understand the job.

• Service work order: a customer-facing job, such as a service call to a client's site.
• Preventive maintenance work order: scheduled ahead of time on a calendar or usage trigger to keep equipment from failing.
• Corrective or reactive work order: created after a fault is found, to fix or restore an asset that has broken or is underperforming.
• Repair work order: a focused fix for a specific known problem.
• Inspection work order: an audit or inspection of an asset, common where regulations require it.
• Installation work order: covers putting in a new asset, from site prep through setup and commissioning.

Change orders: get extra work in writing first

The single most common cause of payment disputes on a job is extra work done without paperwork. If the client asks for more than the original scope, or the contractor discovers that additional work is needed, that change belongs in a written change order that states the added work, the change in cost, and any change in the schedule, and both sides should sign it before the extra work begins. A signed change order protects everyone: the contractor has proof the work was approved and priced, and the client is not surprised by a bigger bill. This is not just good practice. Some states require it. California, for example, requires home improvement change orders to be in writing and signed before the extra work starts, and a contractor who skips that step can have trouble collecting. The rule is simple: no signed change order, no extra work.

Is a work order legally binding?

A work order can function as a binding contract for the job it describes. Once the client authorizes it and the contractor performs the work, it has the elements of a contract: an offer, acceptance, and payment for the work. The signature does two things at once, authorizing the work to proceed and accepting the scope and the estimated cost, so both should be clear before anyone signs. For work at a consumer's home, a few consumer-protection rules can also apply, and they vary by state. Under the Federal Trade Commission's Cooling-Off Rule, a buyer generally has until midnight of the third business day to cancel certain sales made at their home, for purchases of 25 dollars or more, or 130 dollars or more at a temporary location such as a fair or hotel. Separately, many states, around three dozen, require home improvement work above a set amount to be under a written, signed contract, with 500 dollars a common threshold in states such as California, New York, and New Jersey, and most states also license contractors above a certain job size. Because these thresholds and rules differ by state, check your state's home improvement and repair rules for larger consumer jobs.

Signing it

A work order does not need to be notarized or witnessed; a signature authorizing the work is enough to make it effective. You can print it and sign by hand or fill it in and sign online, and an electronic signature is valid for a work order under the ESIGN Act and UETA. In the field, this is usually how it works in practice: a technician captures the customer's signature on a phone or tablet to authorize the job on arrival, and again at the completion sign-off when the work is done. Keep the signed work order with any change orders and the final invoice, since together they are the record of what was approved, what changed, and what was billed.