Change Orders

When scope changes mid-job, log the delta, get it approved, and roll it into the bill.

Scope changes mid-job. A repair turns into a replacement. A commercial install finds an asbestos panel behind the wall. The customer asks you to upgrade a fixture while you're already there.

The wrong move is to quietly edit the original estimate or invoice. The right move is a Change Order: a formal addendum that records what changed, when, who approved it, and the cost delta.

Change order or just an edit?

Situation	Right move
Original estimate had a $5 typo	Edit the line. The audit log captures it.
Customer added a service mid-job (+$180)	Change Order.
Hidden problem found mid-job (rotted joist, +$650)	Change Order.
Swap a $200 part for a $350 part	Change Order (remove old line, add new).
Tech quoted wrong from memory	Change Order, if the customer agrees to the revised price.

Rule of thumb: if the customer is paying a different amount than what's on their original estimate, it's a Change Order.

Creating one

A change order hangs off an approved estimate, not off the job directly. Two ways in:

From the estimate: open it and press Create Change Order.
From the sidebar: Change Orders, then New, and pick the approved estimate from the list.

The New Change Order form with a Select Approved Estimate dropdown, a Reason box, a Notes box, and a Create Change Order button — The change order attaches to an approved estimate. Reason is the sentence the customer will read.

The form asks for two things:

Reason, in a sentence a customer would accept: "Hidden rot in joist, +2 hr labor and a reinforcement bracket."
Notes, for anything internal.

Save, and the change order exists. Its line items come next, on its own page: positive amounts for new charges, negative amounts for credits owed back. Then send it for approval.

The lifecycle

A change order moves through a fixed set of states: Proposed (built and sent) -> Approved or Rejected -> Applied. Applying it rolls the change-order lines into the job's (or estimate's) total. Void withdraws one you no longer want. Approved and applied stamp who and when.

The Change Orders list with CO number, source estimate, customer, reason, status, cost change, and new total — Change orders record the reason, the cost delta, and how the job total moves, each with its own status.

How the customer approves

Same as estimates. They get a portal link, see the original job context plus the change-order lines, and click Approve or Decline. Most shops bundle the change-order amount into the final invoice rather than collecting it separately.

Impact on the final invoice

When the job is marked Complete, the invoice includes the original lines, plus the approved change-order lines, minus any deposit, equals the balance due. Each change order shows as its own sub-section on the invoice, so the customer sees the breakdown. No surprise totals.

Capturing the approval

Modality	How
Portal click	Customer clicks the link. Approval stamps a timestamp and IP.
On-site signature	Tech captures the customer's signature on the phone from the change-order detail.
Phone (verbal)	Office marks it approved and notes "Approved verbally on the phone, [date/time]."
Email reply	Office marks it approved and attaches the email as evidence.

In Analytics

Project Management -> Change Order Approval Rate: what share get approved. A low rate suggests pricing surprises; raise it by quoting more carefully or walking the customer through the order in person.
Project Management -> Change Order Amounts: total approved value this period, an indicator of scope creep.

Common scenarios

Tech started the work before the change order was approved.

Risky but real. Capture the change order, get a signed approval after the fact, and tighten the policy if it keeps happening. The audit log shows the timing, which is useful in a dispute.

Customer approved verbally but later disputes the bill.

Best defense: capture even verbal approvals as a change order with a clear "Approved verbally on the phone, [date/time]" note. Better going forward: route every change through the portal so there's a click-stamp.

Multiple change orders on one job.

Fine. The job's Change Orders tab lists them all, and the final invoice sums every approved one.

The change replaces a line on the original estimate.

Add change-order lines that explicitly cancel and replace, rather than editing the original. The audit story is cleaner. For example: line 1 "Cancel original 50-gal install: -$1,200", line 2 "Add 75-gal install: +$1,750".